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 --> 00:00:12,280 What you are about to see is not a news broadcast. 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,720 Frank and Teresa Wilson were married for 34 happy years. 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,360 Then in 1960, Frank's death separated them forever, 7 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:25,960 or so it seemed. 8 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,040 Until the day of the murder, the police 9 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:30,880 and the family members were separated for the first time 10 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:32,840 until Teresa's 80th birthday approached. 11 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,440 Many in the Wilson family believe that Frank's spirit 12 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:40,840 chose that occasion to make a special visit from beyond the grave. 13 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,280 To his neighbors in Ohio, Neil Gott seemed perfectly ordinary, 14 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,000 the proverbial nice guy next door. 15 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,160 Then an FBI raid revealed that Gott 16 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:51,880 was running a million-dollar drug operation. 17 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,920 Perhaps you can help find him. 18 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,040 When he was 19 years old, Kurt Borton 19 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,840 was declared missing in action in Vietnam. 20 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:03,000 Today, his name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 21 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:04,920 in Washington, DC. 22 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,000 But incredibly, Kurt's family believes 23 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,080 that Kurt is not only still alive, 24 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,120 but that he has returned to the United States 25 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,920 with a new identity. 26 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,240 While the army maintains that Kurt is dead, 27 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,600 his family has accumulated just enough evidence 28 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,280 to sustain their hopes that they'll yet find their son. 29 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,800 Join me for this intriguing edition of Unsolved Mysteries. 30 00:01:52,280 --> 00:02:21,360 Most of us have a certain image of big-time criminals. 31 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,040 There were three pea suits, slick back their hair, 32 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,320 drive fancy cars, and wear fancy jewelry. 33 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,520 That's the image we see in the movies and on television. 34 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,440 In real life, a criminal can be anyone, 35 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,000 even your next-door neighbor. 36 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,920 Neil Gott certainly seemed normal enough. 37 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:44,240 He and his wife, Terry, had moved to the small town 38 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,560 of North Benton, Ohio in 1986. 39 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,040 Neil opened an auto repair shop, and business 40 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:51,920 appeared to be thriving. 41 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:54,800 When a baby girl came along in 1989, 42 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,920 the happy family picture was complete. 43 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,240 The gods on the surface appeared to be 44 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,200 a very legitimate couple. 45 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,520 He was a mechanic who had a place called Lake Park Auto. 46 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,960 She had a cleaning business where she cleaned houses. 47 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:13,760 They had a two-year-old daughter, Heather Gott. 48 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,360 It was a very attractive, blonde-headed little girl. 49 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,280 And everything appeared to be normal. 50 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,280 Unless you lived in the community 51 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,080 and had heard some of the rumors, 52 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,040 or unless you were an FBI agent, 53 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,960 and you knew you had access to what we knew. 54 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:29,000 Hey, what are you doing? 55 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,000 Just talking on the phone. 56 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,760 What the FBI knew was that Neil Gott was making 57 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,920 an awful lot of phone calls to a drug dealer in Akron. 58 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,040 I'll bring my thing of mine, too, at the same time. 59 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,520 Maybe we can just flip around, you know what I mean? 60 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:44,760 Probably. 61 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,960 The FBI listened in for a month, gathering information 62 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:49,880 and biding their time. 63 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,760 Finally, on December 15, 1990, Gott 64 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,600 put in a substantial order for the next day, 65 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,280 eight ounces of cocaine. 66 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,400 Probably bring eight or so. 67 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:01,840 Eight of them? 68 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:03,440 Yeah, give me an eight pack. 69 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:04,440 No kidding. 70 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,760 When Neil Gott made the buy, the FBI was waiting. 71 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:11,560 FBI, go move. 72 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,040 Step back away from the vehicle. 73 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:15,720 Come on, step aside. 74 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:17,760 Your hand's on the truck. 75 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:18,560 We're at the FBI. 76 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,240 Do you have any weapons on you anywhere? 77 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,640 No. 78 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,960 OK, go ahead and turn around. 79 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,000 The agents did not take Neil Gott into custody. 80 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,240 They had decided on a risky strategy. 81 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,280 We wanted the cocaine, but we were not 82 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:36,480 going to arrest Neil Gott because we wanted 83 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,720 to continue our investigation until we got everybody 84 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,680 in his network. 85 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,320 Neil Gott, the good neighbor, did not disappoint. 86 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:48,520 He went straight home and called his buyers 87 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,360 to tell them the bad news. 88 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,720 There would be no cocaine. 89 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:56,360 Now the FBI had the names of Gott's cohorts. 90 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:59,160 But the authorities had already begun to suspect 91 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:04,320 that Gott was more than a small-time cocaine middleman. 92 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:07,960 We became suspicious of other areas of Neil Gott's activities. 93 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:11,880 For instance, he had rented a barn in Homeworth, Ohio. 94 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:13,960 And in this barn, which was supposedly 95 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,920 empty or being used for occasional auto repairs, 96 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,280 we looked at electric bills in the neighborhood of $1,800 97 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:22,160 to $1,900 a month. 98 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,880 Whereas in that type of building, the electric bill 99 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:26,160 shouldn't be over $50. 100 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:28,400 And that was our clue that there were probably 101 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:30,960 growing marijuana hydroponically in that property. 102 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:35,680 The FBI moved again. 103 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:37,600 This time they carried a federal search 104 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,080 warrant for Neil and Terry Gott's house and for their barn. 105 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,320 His indoor growing operation was everything we expected 106 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:48,360 and much more. 107 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,920 It was a very sophisticated operation 108 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,520 with expensive strobe lights, which are heating lamps, 109 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:59,120 expensive timers, irrigation piping and tubing 110 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,920 to all these various plants, grow packs, everything, 111 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,960 a successful marijuana operation for an indoor growth 112 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,800 needed Neil Gott had. 113 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:10,800 Inside, with that kind of equipment, 114 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:14,640 in normal cases, you can harvest at a minimum four times 115 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:15,640 a year. 116 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:17,960 Your minimum harvest would be in the neighborhood of $75,000 117 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:20,960 to $100,000. 118 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,480 In addition to the marijuana, agents 119 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,440 also found a trove of weapons when they searched the house, 120 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:31,080 including high-powered rifles, handguns, and explosives. 121 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,600 Terry Gott was at the barn, but she 122 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:35,640 denied any knowledge of drug dealing. 123 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,400 This time, however, Neil Gott was arrested. 124 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,840 After he was arrested, Mr. Gott's bail 125 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:47,920 was set at $25,000 cash and a $200,000 bond, which 126 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:49,760 was signed by his parents. 127 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,400 And he immediately, of course, made bail 128 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:55,400 and was back out on the street. 129 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,720 In the meantime, the FBI had Neil Gott's entire distribution 130 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,560 network, as well as several other other organizations 131 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:03,600 that were involved in the crime. 132 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:07,240 The distribution network, as well as several other drug dealers. 133 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,640 In all, 22 people were indicted on March 7, 1991, 134 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,200 including Neil and Terry Gott. 135 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:17,160 Most of the defendants were in court for the arraignment. 136 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:18,840 The Gott's never showed. 137 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,240 When the FBI went to the Gott's house, it was empty. 138 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,160 In the backyard, they found a dead dog chained to a tree. 139 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,440 The only sign of life was a neighbor 140 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,840 who wandered over to see what was going on. 141 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:37,360 Brian Smith, FBI. 142 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:39,240 Oh, have you seen Neil or Terry Gott? 143 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,600 No, I'm watching their dog. 144 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:42,760 You're watching their dog? 145 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:43,920 Yeah. 146 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:45,160 For how long? 147 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,480 I don't know, about a week. 148 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:51,040 We started interviewing people, and we interviewed 149 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:55,320 a lady who had rented a U-Haul trailer for the Gott's. 150 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,200 Had put it in her name. 151 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,800 And we were also able to decide from talking to people 152 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:04,000 that on the evening of March 6, the Gott's had loaded 153 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,640 all their personal belongings into this U-Haul trailer 154 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:07,240 and had left. 155 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,280 Neil Gott ended up in Florida. 156 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,440 At least that's where he dropped the U-Haul truck. 157 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,480 We believe the Gott's are still in the United States. 158 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,560 Neil Gott is a powerboat enthusiast, the kind of cigarette 159 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:26,000 type boats that were on Miami Vice. 160 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,000 He enjoys that kind of activity. 161 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:29,680 So we feel wherever he is, he's probably 162 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:31,000 engaging in that. 163 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,480 He's a truck driver, and he's also an accomplished mechanic. 164 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,120 But what Neil Gott does best is he grows dope marijuana 165 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:38,720 specifically. 166 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:43,120 So we definitely feel he's engaged in that activity. 167 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:48,360 Neil Gott is 44 years old, six feet tall, and weighs 180 pounds. 168 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:51,760 He has prematurely gray hair, which he may have dyed brown 169 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:53,320 and blue eyes. 170 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,040 Gott sometimes uses the alias John Hughes 171 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:58,600 and should be considered armed and dangerous. 172 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:22,160 When we return, the poignant ghost story 173 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,160 of a love that transcended the grave. 174 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:39,400 It has long been said that love conquers all. 175 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:42,840 Consider the romance of Frank and Teresa Wilson, 176 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:50,240 joined in marriage 1926, separated by Frank's death 1960. 177 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:52,400 Incredibly, Teresa and her family 178 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,080 believe that Frank is expressed as continuing love 179 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:59,200 and devotion from beyond the grave. 180 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,440 I can't believe it's been 34 years. 181 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:07,040 34 years married, and 34 years he's gone. 182 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:12,920 I have a feeling that he's here all the time around me. 183 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:16,160 I really do. 184 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,920 The 1930s and 40s were busy years for Teresa and Frank 185 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:24,600 as they raised seven children, three girls, and four boys. 186 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:26,720 Money was scarce, but the Wilson's 187 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:31,240 were content with the simple joys of marriage and family. 188 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:36,240 A red letter day was April 3, 1950, Frank's 50th birthday. 189 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,560 Teresa proudly presented him with the money 190 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:41,840 she had carefully saved to buy their first TV set. 191 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:51,920 Frank? 192 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,960 The last time I saw Frank, we got up at our usual time, 193 00:10:54,960 --> 00:11:00,320 6 o'clock, and went to the door, like I always did, 194 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:01,800 to kiss him goodbye. 195 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:02,800 Surprise me. 196 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:03,600 Oh, right. 197 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:07,600 Goodbye, sweetheart. 198 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:15,200 And that was his last words when he said goodbye, sweetheart. 199 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:20,480 Frank Faye Wilson, beloved husband and father of seven, 200 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,240 died of a heart attack on his way to work. 201 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:24,880 He was 59 years old. 202 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:29,800 Teresa's family, which eventually 203 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,360 grew to include more than two dozen grandchildren 204 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:34,320 and 40 great grandchildren, helped 205 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:37,960 to fill the painful void left by Frank's death. 206 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:41,920 In 1982, as Teresa approached her 80th birthday, 207 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,800 her children planned a special celebration. 208 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:50,360 They never imagined just how special it would turn out to be. 209 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,400 More than a year in advance, Teresa's daughter, Margaret 210 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,920 Locke, began working on a unique and intimate gift. 211 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:01,960 I wanted to put together a memory book with letters 212 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:04,800 from all the relatives and the children and grandchildren 213 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,560 and people all across the states, 214 00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:10,480 just writing her a letter and telling her how they felt 215 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:14,600 about her and remembering things that they had done in the past. 216 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,280 And it took a long time, and it was a lot of work, 217 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:19,640 but it was worth it. 218 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:21,680 According to Margaret, one letter 219 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,440 was delivered in the most extraordinary fashion 220 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,840 in the midst of a sleepless night. 221 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,800 I sensed that there was someone in the door, 222 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:35,960 and I looked over, and there was a man standing there. 223 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:39,440 And it just came to me that it was my father. 224 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,480 He was white, and it was just it glowed. 225 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:45,320 It actually glowed. 226 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:48,440 I don't know how else to describe it. 227 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:53,680 Margaret, I'm here because I want you to take a letter. 228 00:12:53,680 --> 00:12:55,880 Letter? 229 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:59,720 You mean a letter from mom's book? 230 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,680 Margaret says she grabbed her journal 231 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:04,680 and hurriedly began to scribble. 232 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:08,120 Dear Tress, as you know, 233 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,520 as you celebrate your 80th birthday, 234 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,480 I want you to know I'll be at your side 235 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,840 as you blow out the candles on your cake. 236 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:24,200 Happy birthday, sweetheart. 237 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:28,760 When he was done, I looked up at him again, and he smiled, 238 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:30,360 and he was gone. 239 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,920 He just vanished. 240 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:38,240 And I just was so stunned. 241 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:43,440 And I laid down and took a long time, 242 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,000 and I finally fell asleep, and I woke up the next morning, 243 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,560 and I thought, what a dream. 244 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:51,320 What a dream I had. 245 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:54,320 Margaret says she began to believe it wasn't a dream 246 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:57,480 when she read the love letter the next day. 247 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:02,880 If I were really here, I would shower you with sapphires, 248 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:07,080 as blue as the ocean to match your eyes. 249 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:08,920 My father was always like that. 250 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:12,120 I mean, when my mother's regular birthdays came around, 251 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:16,080 he was so, sometimes they didn't have enough money 252 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,240 to buy her a gift. 253 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,280 But he always had something special for her, 254 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,520 and I really think this was the most special thing 255 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:27,480 he had in all her years. 256 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,200 September 19, 1982. 257 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:34,400 At last, the night of the party had arrived. 258 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:35,400 Surprise! 259 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,800 It turned out we had quite a few people at the party, 260 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:48,680 and my mother kind of got wind of it before the party. 261 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:50,480 So when she walked in there, I think 262 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,520 she kind of suspected what was going on. 263 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:55,200 But she was still so gracious, and she just 264 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:59,560 acted like she was just as surprised and pleased as punch. 265 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:02,360 Well, when they took me there, it was a haul, 266 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:05,680 and I knew it was going to be a party. 267 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:10,240 And it was my birthday, so I figured that's it. 268 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:12,960 Teresa had guessed correctly about the party, 269 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,360 but she had absolutely no idea what was in store for her 270 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:20,000 as she opened the book of letters. 271 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,880 She opened the first page, and inside was the invitation, 272 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:24,880 which, oh, it's nice. 273 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:26,440 And then she opened it up, and there 274 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,200 was a picture of her and my dad that my nephew had drawn. 275 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:30,920 And then there was the letter. 276 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:38,920 Dear Tress. 277 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:41,440 I just couldn't control myself. 278 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,360 I just started to cry. 279 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:46,160 Initially, Teresa thought Margaret 280 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:48,200 had written the letter as a way of including 281 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,360 Frank and the celebration. 282 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:54,240 But then she began to wonder. 283 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:58,440 When I said, dear Tress, everybody else called me Teresa, 284 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,120 but he called me Tress. 285 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:05,360 Happy birthday, sweetheart Frank. 286 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,040 I think I'll read these later. 287 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:18,640 I couldn't get past the first page. 288 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:20,640 I was in tears. 289 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,160 Then everybody started coming up and congratulating me 290 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:25,400 and giving me presents. 291 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:30,640 And after that, it was a real nice evening. 292 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,440 How did you know what he called me? 293 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:34,640 What do you mean? 294 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:36,960 Sweetheart. 295 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:37,480 I didn't. 296 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:39,680 I just wrote what he said. 297 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:41,720 I couldn't believe it. 298 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,680 I said, oh, no, it's just a dream. 299 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:48,440 But then when she told me that she never knew about him 300 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,040 calling me sweetheart, and she said, that's what he signed it. 301 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:53,800 She told me to sign it. 302 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:57,480 And then I believed it. 303 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,800 But I wish she'd come to me like that. 304 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,920 More than a decade has passed for Teresa. 305 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:12,760 The letter remains a tangible link to her one true love. 306 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:15,600 Well, I read his letter and I can just hear him say it, 307 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,600 just like he was right there. 308 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:21,680 I love you more as each day brings us closer 309 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:23,560 together. 310 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:25,640 Stay a while, though. 311 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,080 I'll wait forever. 312 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:30,320 I love that part of it. 313 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,000 He doesn't want me to leave yet. 314 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,320 And I guess my kids don't want me to leave either. 315 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:41,720 But it gave me a good feeling to know that when I go, 316 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:45,480 I'll have, they shouldn't feel bad because I'll 317 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,800 have somebody waiting for me. 318 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:50,280 Here we go, everybody. 319 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,960 Happy birthday. 320 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,600 In September of 1994, our cameras 321 00:17:55,600 --> 00:18:00,560 were on hand as Teresa Wilson celebrated her 92nd birthday. 322 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:04,360 Gathered around her were family members from four generations. 323 00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:07,960 And perhaps, just perhaps, the spirit of the man 324 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,800 she will always love, her sweetheart, Frank Wilson. 325 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,400 Next, a woman claims to have seen her brother. 326 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,200 More than 25 years after, the government declared 327 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,440 him missing in action in Vietnam. 328 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:38,280 The images are as stark today as they were in the 1980s. 329 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:43,760 The images are as stark today as they were in the 1960s and 70s. 330 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,800 It seems hard to believe, but it's been more than 20 years 331 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:49,520 since American forces were fighting and dying 332 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:53,600 in the distant jungles of Southeast Asia. 333 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,640 Along with the 58,000 who lost their lives, 334 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:58,720 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial also 335 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,920 carries the names of hundreds of GIs 336 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:05,000 who were officially unaccounted for. 337 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,560 A few families hold onto the faint glimmer of hope 338 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,840 that the men will one day return home. 339 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:14,080 Tonight, you will meet the family of Robert C. Borton, Jr., 340 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:17,200 known as Kurt. 341 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,160 The Bortons believe Kurt's name should never 342 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,800 have been inscribed on the wall in the first place, 343 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:25,040 that he is not missing in action, nor was he killed. 344 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:28,040 They are convinced that Kurt is not only still alive, 345 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,200 but that he has come back to the United States 346 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,680 with a new identity. 347 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,600 I know my brother Kurt's alive. 348 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:40,240 I've seen him on three separate occasions in Washington, DC, 349 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,360 and I have not one doubt in my mind 350 00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:44,640 that that was my brother, and he's very much 351 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,880 alive to this day. 352 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:50,480 While it's understandable that the Borton family might not 353 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,120 want to accept the harsh reality that Kurt has died, 354 00:19:54,120 --> 00:19:55,800 they have collected just enough evidence 355 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:58,400 to give credence to their theory. 356 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,840 When Kurt enlisted in the Marines, he was 19 years old. 357 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:06,040 Eight months later, just 19 days after arriving in Vietnam, 358 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:09,640 he found himself on night patrol near the city of Da Nang. 359 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,840 It was not long after that that Robert Borton received 360 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,160 the visit that every father dreads. 361 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:22,960 Yes? 362 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:24,480 Mr. Robert Borton? 363 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:25,520 Yes. 364 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:26,400 Captain Victor's. 365 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,760 This is Lieutenant Jeffries, casualty office 366 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,280 United States Marine Corps. 367 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:31,920 Is this about Kurt? 368 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:32,840 Yes, sir. 369 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:35,880 I'm afraid we do have some bad news about your son. 370 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:38,320 He has been reported missing in action. 371 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,120 I don't know what to think. 372 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:41,880 He really hit me hard. 373 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:43,040 They said he was missing in action, 374 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,920 so I had to hope they'd find him right away. 375 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:48,200 He was missing in the news all the time, 376 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:50,080 hoping something would come up where they'd found him, 377 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,080 but never did. 378 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:52,760 Never happened. 379 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,680 Two years passed when not a single word about Kurt's fate, 380 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:02,640 still the Bortons prayed for a miracle. 381 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:08,680 And in September of 1968, they believe one was delivered. 382 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:09,960 Robert? 383 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:10,760 Yeah. 384 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:12,400 Come here a minute. 385 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,800 We subscribed to the Leatherneck magazine, 386 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:16,720 the Marine magazine. 387 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,600 And I was just going through it. 388 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:20,480 And all of a sudden, I see this picture, 389 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,960 and it just jumped at me like, there's our son. 390 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,560 I wasn't expecting to see a picture of him. 391 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:30,600 So it was him. 392 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:35,640 And I seemed to, I said right then, there's my boy. 393 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:37,240 I ain't no doubt about his face. 394 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,920 It is his picture of him. 395 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,560 The photograph had been taken in the Kwong Tree province 396 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:49,240 in 1967, a full year after Kurt had been reported missing. 397 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:52,520 The Bortons are convinced that this soldier is their son. 398 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:57,280 We took it down to the Marine Casualty Office. 399 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,040 And then we got a letter back saying that it couldn't be him 400 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:03,200 because it's just in the match in that and something 401 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:03,680 else. 402 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:08,800 In other words, they claimed it was not our son. 403 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:12,040 A few years later, the Bortons came across what they believe 404 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:13,560 is additional evidence. 405 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:17,400 This is a frame from a 16 millimeter film shot in a Viet Cong 406 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,080 prison camp in 1968. 407 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:23,120 The Bortons have identified this prisoner as Kurt. 408 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,120 I seen that there and as soon as I seen it, 409 00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:32,440 I said there's my boy again right there. 410 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:33,240 I'm like him. 411 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:35,240 There's our son again. 412 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:36,240 No doubt. 413 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:41,840 I mean, you know your children when you see them. 414 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,280 Major Dave Greco, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps, 415 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,240 says the Bortons are mistaken. 416 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,840 Each of the service members in that photograph 417 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:51,920 have been positively identified. 418 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:54,480 We've spoken to each one of them and none of them 419 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:55,840 is Robert Borden. 420 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:01,080 If it had ended with the two photographs, 421 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,080 Kurt's family might have dropped the entire matter. 422 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,960 But the Bortons say there is more, much more. 423 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,920 In the summer of 1976, Robert says he was approached by 424 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:15,760 two strangers who claim to be agents 425 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:17,760 with the Department of Defense. 426 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:19,360 You're Kurt Borden's father. 427 00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:20,360 Is that right? 428 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:21,160 Yeah. 429 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:22,160 You got information about him? 430 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:23,080 No. 431 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:24,080 We have no information we can give you. 432 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:26,480 But we do have a letter we need you to sign for us. 433 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:27,760 What's this about? 434 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:29,360 Well, basically it changes his status 435 00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:32,160 from missing in action to killed. 436 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:33,160 What do you mean killed? 437 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:36,760 I want to know if my son's own personal safety. 438 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:38,360 I declare him dead. 439 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:40,760 I said, no, I won't do that. 440 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:42,160 I'm not going to kill him. 441 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:44,600 I said, no, I won't do that. 442 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:46,520 They told me I'd get large sum of money. 443 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,120 And I said, I'm not concerned about the money of my boy. 444 00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:50,720 And I told them, no, I would not. 445 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:51,800 What's going on? 446 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:53,800 But I'm not signing any letter. 447 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,880 Now, just stay away from me, OK? 448 00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,280 They got in the car and left. 449 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,200 And they said, do not tell nobody. 450 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,720 Nobody, nobody about it. 451 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,200 And so I didn't even tell her about it. 452 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:07,280 We don't work that way. 453 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:09,960 We do things in a very professional manner. 454 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:12,920 We would not approach someone and solicit them 455 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:14,560 to change their son's status. 456 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:17,320 In a public parking lot of a shopping mall, 457 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:22,320 it would have been done in uniform in the family's home. 458 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:25,880 And would not have been solicited to have that done. 459 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,440 I feel like I should talk to a lawyer before I sign this. 460 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:31,040 Robert claims that the two men pursued him aggressively 461 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,600 over a period of weeks, always confronting him 462 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:35,600 in a public place. 463 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:37,560 Robert is functionally illiterate. 464 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,640 And eventually, he signed the document 465 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:41,120 without knowing what it said. 466 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:47,920 And so I agreed to clear him dead for his own safety. 467 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,280 They kept saying that every once in a while, for his own safety. 468 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:55,100 Right. 469 00:24:55,100 --> 00:24:57,800 They never told me that he was alive or anything like that. 470 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,240 But when they told me for his own safety, 471 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,600 and then I knew he was alive then. 472 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:13,080 In the end, Robert Borton received a check for $43,000. 473 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,960 10 years went by before Robert told his family 474 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:19,240 anything about the episode. 475 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:21,960 When Diane read the letter that her father had signed, 476 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:23,920 she discovered that it was not a waiver, 477 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:27,320 but was typed up as a request by Mr. Borton. 478 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,160 The description killed in action had been x'd out 479 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:32,440 and replaced with killed in captivity. 480 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:36,440 It was one more confusing discovery 481 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:38,720 that made the Bortons wonder what had really happened 482 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:40,040 to Kurt. 483 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,440 That confusion would grow as a family traveled time and time 484 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:49,520 again to Washington, DC, to investigate Kurt's case. 485 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:51,120 On several occasions, the Bortons 486 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:54,320 were allowed to examine Kurt's official files. 487 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,680 During the early morning hours of an unrecalled day 488 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,960 in March or April 1966. 489 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:01,880 What? 490 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:04,800 Diane claims that the entries regarding Kurt's death 491 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:06,440 kept changing. 492 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,680 Some of these reports are unsubstantiated. 493 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,680 They had him killed in March or April of 1966. 494 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,440 In 1967, they have a story of him being with an engineer 495 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:18,040 crew and being killed. 496 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:20,760 They had him killed on paper several times. 497 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:25,000 And it just amazes me that the audacity of them thinking 498 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,120 that we would swallow each one of these stories 499 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:28,880 and not say anything about it. 500 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,560 I think a lot of what the families read, 501 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:33,720 they have to understand that what they're reading 502 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,720 is not often government position, 503 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:41,760 but it may be the report of a witness. 504 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:43,760 These people, Vietnam villagers, 505 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,320 are remembering things that happened to them 25 years ago 506 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:50,360 during a traumatic time in their own lives. 507 00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:53,840 So there are often errors in years. 508 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,200 There are often errors in months. 509 00:26:56,200 --> 00:27:00,360 Many times, they only understand things 510 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:04,880 from the cycles of planning and harvesting their crops. 511 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:09,920 The Bortons continue to dig for evidence 512 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:11,960 that Kurt was still alive. 513 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,000 In the process, the family believes 514 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:15,960 that someone was becoming increasingly 515 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:17,600 curious about them. 516 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:20,960 Every time I go and check out his file, there's something new. 517 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:22,240 Like what? 518 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:25,520 Well, this time I went and did you hear that? 519 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:28,640 Yeah, it's probably your call waiting. 520 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,840 I don't have call waiting. 521 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,680 Diane and other family members became convinced 522 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:35,880 that their phones were tapped. 523 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:38,680 I started having several phone conversations with Diane, 524 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,200 and she was giving me a lot of the information that she had. 525 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:44,120 One of Diane's cousins is certain that the entire family 526 00:27:44,120 --> 00:27:45,760 was being watched. 527 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:48,360 He has asked that his identity not be revealed. 528 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:51,040 About that time frame that I started noticing 529 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:52,840 that I was being followed to work. 530 00:27:56,200 --> 00:28:00,400 We lived in a house that was inside of a trailer park. 531 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,120 And I started noticing that pretty much every morning, 532 00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:07,760 there would be a car pulled out of the office parking lot. 533 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:10,640 And they would follow me into work. 534 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:17,120 And then I'd find them behind me again on my way home. 535 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:19,760 After about a month and a half, maybe two months 536 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:23,080 of being followed, I approached the two gentlemen in the car. 537 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,200 Yeah, guys, I'm not going to the company this morning. 538 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:32,000 I'm going to the gym first. 539 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:33,720 It's right across the street from the company. 540 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:35,280 I'll be there for two hours. 541 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:36,760 I'll be back here, take a shower, 542 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:38,760 then I'm going back to work, OK? 543 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:41,040 What are you talking about? 544 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:42,880 You guys have been following me for a while. 545 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:45,200 I figured I'd let you know where I was just in case you were. 546 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,680 After that, for about a month and a half, two months, 547 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:50,200 I wasn't followed anymore. 548 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:52,200 And then we started noticing them again. 549 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:58,440 As part of his job in a security company, 550 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,840 Diane's cousin often ran routine credit checks. 551 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,120 At Diane's request, he entered Kurt's social security number 552 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:09,200 in the system and made an unsettling discovery. 553 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:11,960 I entered it into the computer, and it came back 554 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:15,200 invalid entry. 555 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:18,280 At that time, I went and got my employer, 556 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:21,600 and I told him I'm trying to run this credit application. 557 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:24,680 And I think I'm doing something wrong. 558 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:27,720 And he said, whoever filled out that credit application 559 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:29,800 is trying to feed you a line. 560 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:31,080 That number's never been issued. 561 00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:37,040 That same day, I had left work, was headed home, 562 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,720 and I was approached by someone they very pleasantly 563 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:40,760 called me by my name. 564 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:42,040 Hi, how are you doing? 565 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:45,040 Listen, what you did today was really stupid. 566 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:46,120 What are you talking about? 567 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:47,600 You know what I'm talking about. 568 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:49,880 That would be you and your family's best interest, 569 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:51,000 not to do it again. 570 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:52,720 I don't know what you're talking about. 571 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:53,600 Yes, you do. 572 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:56,360 I'll leave it alone. 573 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:58,440 Diane's cousin believes that he was threatened 574 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:00,360 because he had stumbled upon evidence 575 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,680 that Kurt might still be alive. 576 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:06,480 It would seem to fit together that maybe he 577 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,800 had been used for covert operations. 578 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:13,640 And in order to keep him from talking 579 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:16,360 about these covert operations, he 580 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:21,480 was given a new identity and instructions not to contact 581 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:22,720 anyone from his past. 582 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,640 In 1990, a full 24 years after Kurt 583 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,040 Morton supposedly died in Vietnam, 584 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:35,960 his sister Diane moved to a suburb of Washington, DC. 585 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:38,640 Soon after, Diane had a chance encounter 586 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,520 that finally convinced her that all of the scenarios 587 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:45,640 about her brother might in fact be true. 588 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,120 I went down to gas up the van, and a car pulled in behind me. 589 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:50,400 It was a red car. 590 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,880 And whoever it was, they must pump their gas pass 591 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:57,600 because I see him run across and pay for theirs. 592 00:30:57,600 --> 00:30:59,240 And I walked across, paid for mine. 593 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,040 And when I came back across, the person 594 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,560 was standing there outside his car. 595 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:10,600 It looks like it's going to snow, doesn't it? 596 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:11,240 I was stunned. 597 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:13,840 It was my brother. 598 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:16,320 I didn't even have time to react because as soon as he said 599 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:18,520 that, he got in and took off. 600 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:20,320 There was a real pretty girl in front. 601 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:23,440 See, she had long, blonde hair. 602 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:24,800 It didn't look like it was going to snow. 603 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:25,600 It was October. 604 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:28,360 It was clear skies. 605 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:30,040 And that's the only thing he said to me. 606 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:36,640 The next April, Diane claims she saw Kurt again. 607 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:43,560 We were headed down 395, and a red car pulled up beside us. 608 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:47,320 I looked over and it was my brother. 609 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:50,280 It was the same red car I'd seen at the gas station. 610 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:52,040 The blonde girl was in the car with him. 611 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:52,880 You could see her. 612 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:55,320 And he looked at me and he grinned. 613 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:57,240 And then he took a shot in front of us 614 00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:59,160 and slowed down a little bit. 615 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:02,080 And I wrote down the license number. 616 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,360 And he sped up and zipped over in the other lane 617 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:06,600 and zipped off the exit, which was 618 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,360 that was at Quantico Marine Station. 619 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:10,680 And we were going too fast. 620 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:13,600 We couldn't follow him. 621 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:15,440 Diane traced the license plate number 622 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:17,280 to a man who lived in Virginia. 623 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:19,440 But he claimed to know nothing about Kurt. 624 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:26,600 A few months later, in July of 1991, 625 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:30,240 Diane says Kurt made another mysterious appearance. 626 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:33,640 By this time, Diane says that at least one war buddy of Kurt's 627 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:36,480 had confirmed that Kurt was alive. 628 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:38,880 However, that vets had Kurt had come home 629 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:40,920 a disturbed and dangerous man. 630 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:47,800 I spent many, many hours down at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 631 00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:50,320 I had my two daughters with me. 632 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:53,880 And there's a little hill with some woods. 633 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:55,560 And on the other side is the restrooms. 634 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,320 We went over to the restroom, went in, used the restroom. 635 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:01,040 When we came out of the restroom, my brother 636 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,840 was leaning against the wall. 637 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,920 And my oldest daughter, she recognized him. 638 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:07,360 Mom, that's Kurt. 639 00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:08,360 Come on. Come on. 640 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:09,360 Mom, he's right there. 641 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:10,400 Come on. Let's go. 642 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:11,400 Mom, he's right there. 643 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:12,400 Let's go home. 644 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:15,400 Mom, please talk to him. 645 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:17,560 I had been told from other sources 646 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:19,920 that he was potentially dangerous. 647 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:21,280 I had my two children with me. 648 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:23,720 And I just couldn't take that chance 649 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:28,640 that he could possibly be dangerous and harm my children. 650 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:30,480 I know now that was a mistake. 651 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:32,800 If I had it all to do over again, 652 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:34,400 I would have turned around. 653 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:35,640 I would have faced him. 654 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:36,760 I would have talked to him. 655 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,560 I would have threw my arms around him and hugged him. 656 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:40,600 But I was afraid. 657 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:41,500 I was afraid. 658 00:33:41,500 --> 00:33:42,000 [? He's ?] 659 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:42,500 [? He's ?] 660 00:33:42,500 --> 00:33:43,000 [? He's ?] 661 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:43,500 [? He's ?] 662 00:33:43,500 --> 00:33:44,000 [? He's ?] 663 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:49,360 In 1992, another disturbing event. 664 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:50,360 Hello? 665 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,160 Is this Robert Gordon? 666 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:53,720 Yes, who's this? 667 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:55,120 I can't mention any names. 668 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:55,920 No names. 669 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:58,280 The caller asked a question which could only 670 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,640 be answered by two people. 671 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:02,640 Your son had a blonde-haired babysitter. 672 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:04,160 What was her name? 673 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:05,600 Frieda Smith. 674 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:06,280 Frieda Smith. 675 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:07,760 Yeah? 676 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:08,320 Is that my son? 677 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:09,280 Is he there? 678 00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:10,720 So I knew right then it's him by. 679 00:34:10,720 --> 00:34:12,960 He must be in the background. 680 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:15,280 And then they made a statement that he'd be seeing me soon. 681 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:16,440 He's seeing me soon. 682 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:19,120 I can't tell you anything more, but he'll be seeing you soon. 683 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:21,320 Don't tell anyone. 684 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:22,200 Wait, hello? 685 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:23,100 Hello? 686 00:34:23,100 --> 00:34:24,000 I haven't heard another word from him. 687 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:25,400 I figured he'd probably get in touch with him. 688 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:26,300 I haven't heard no more. 689 00:34:26,300 --> 00:34:28,120 And I hope I didn't jeopardize his life or anything, 690 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:28,960 but tell anybody. 691 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:36,080 In August of 1993, the boarders were notified 692 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:39,760 that a new set of documents concerning MIAs and POWs 693 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:42,640 had been declassified by the government. 694 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:45,040 When they met with officials at Marine headquarters, 695 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:49,200 the boarders were shocked by what they learned. 696 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:52,880 We have discovered some remains that we believe belonged 697 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:53,840 to Kurt. 698 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:54,520 What? 699 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:56,240 What did you find? 700 00:34:56,240 --> 00:34:59,720 We found 11 teeth in a gravesite. 701 00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:02,320 Where did you find them? 702 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:04,400 One report told of four US soldiers 703 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:08,560 who were killed by the Viet Cong in 1966. 704 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:12,040 Vietnamese eyewitnesses said that the bodies were buried 705 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:16,600 and then later moved to another gravesite. 706 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:18,920 Although the actual dates are in dispute, 707 00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:21,740 the government believed that the discovery of Kurt's teeth 708 00:35:21,740 --> 00:35:24,080 and another set of dog tags at the gravesite 709 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:28,680 provided reasonable certainty that Kurt was killed in Vietnam. 710 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:30,480 However, the teeth found in the grave 711 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:33,360 were compared with X-rays provided by the military, 712 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,440 not by Kurt's family. 713 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,120 I asked him, I says, where's the rest of his body? 714 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:40,640 All he had was teeth. 715 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,680 They says, well, there was grave robbers. 716 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:46,680 And they came and they robbed the grave and took the body. 717 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:53,960 And I'm thinking, well, this is kind of dumb. 718 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:56,080 What, did they just leave the teeth? 719 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,040 We know that there is remains trade in Vietnam, 720 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:05,920 where remains are buried, dug up and moved to another place, 721 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:09,840 dug up again, and sold to remains traders. 722 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:11,840 So they miss many of the smaller pieces. 723 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:15,800 So often we find only teeth. 724 00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:19,040 Forensic experts tell us that these teeth were 725 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:24,040 from a deceased person and that the teeth do match Robert 726 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:25,800 Borton. 727 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,160 It looks like it's going to snow, doesn't it? 728 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:30,200 Today, the Borton family believes that Kurt 729 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:33,000 is part of a secret government operation. 730 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,720 Diane in particular feels that her brother has attempted 731 00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:39,640 to contact the family in order to let them know that he is alive 732 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:44,440 without endangering himself by exposing his new identity. 733 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:49,960 I talked to a man who claims to be a secret attorney. 734 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:55,160 He said that they were allowed to come back as long 735 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:57,520 as they didn't contact their families 736 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,320 or let anybody know they're back. 737 00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:04,200 The official status that was taken on these men 738 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:08,640 was that there were no more live POWs in Southeast Asia. 739 00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:10,480 And they couldn't bring back live POWs 740 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:13,120 when they've already taken the stand that all the POWs are 741 00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:15,360 home or dead. 742 00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:20,640 There's no such program to bring servicemen back after Vietnam 743 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:22,640 and give them new identities. 744 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:26,080 Robert Borton would not be a candidate for any type 745 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,360 of secret mission. 746 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:30,360 He was a very young man. 747 00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:33,600 He was in the Marine Corps just over six months. 748 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:35,320 He did not have any special skills. 749 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:37,200 He did not have a security clearance 750 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:41,160 or any linguistic skills that would have been needed 751 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:44,760 for some type of a covert operation. 752 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,080 They're lying to us. 753 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:50,840 And there's lots of families out there like us 754 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,360 that are suffering because of it. 755 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:55,960 And that's what's hard for me to handle, 756 00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:57,720 is knowing what I've went through and knowing 757 00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:01,440 there's other families out there going through the same thing. 758 00:38:01,440 --> 00:38:02,240 They're not knowing. 759 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:08,360 What happened to Kurt Borton? 760 00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:11,840 Did he die in the jungles of Vietnam as the government says? 761 00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:14,560 Or did he somehow manage to survive? 762 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:16,880 Despite the official record, the Borton family 763 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:19,880 remains convinced that Kurt is very much alive 764 00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:22,120 and that one day he will come home. 765 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,280 Recently, we told you the story of Soon Van Nguyen, who 766 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:44,920 immigrated to America from Vietnam with his family in 1993. 767 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:47,160 Soon had come not only to start a new life, 768 00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:49,040 but to complete a chapter from his own. 769 00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:55,760 In 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, 770 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:58,440 Soon was among hundreds of South Vietnamese officers 771 00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:01,480 dispatched to a US Air Force base in Louisiana 772 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:05,200 for jet pilot training. 773 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:07,520 Within weeks, Soon had fallen in love 774 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:12,280 with an American woman named Gwendolyn Lofton. 775 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:14,840 But inevitably, the war intervened. 776 00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:17,040 Soon was sent back to Vietnam to fight 777 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:19,720 for his country. 778 00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:22,240 A few months after his return, he received a letter 779 00:39:22,240 --> 00:39:23,520 from America. 780 00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:24,680 Gwendolyn was pregnant. 781 00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:40,560 Coming back from a tense mission and hearing the good news, 782 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:45,360 I was so happy at that moment. 783 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:48,440 Five years later, Soon was dispatched to Louisiana once 784 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:49,320 again. 785 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,800 He met his daughter Kimberly for the first time. 786 00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:57,760 And I looked at her and knew right away 787 00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:01,280 that this was my child. 788 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:04,160 Kimberly, this is Soon. 789 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:04,640 Soon? 790 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:10,320 Soon was able to spend an entire month with Kimberly 791 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:12,880 before he had to return to Vietnam and the war. 792 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,720 After the war ended, Soon was incarcerated 793 00:40:18,720 --> 00:40:21,880 for nearly 10 years in a reeducation camp, 794 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:26,280 another 10 years passed before he finally made it to America. 795 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,440 But Soon never stopped thinking of the little girl 796 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:30,760 he had left behind so long ago. 797 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:33,760 And on our broadcast, he asked if someone in our audience 798 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:34,960 could help reunite them. 799 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:39,960 That night, the switchboard in our phone 800 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:43,480 center lit up with calls from Kimberly's friends and family. 801 00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:45,760 Kimberly, who lives in Pineville, Louisiana, 802 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:48,800 was thrilled to learn that Soon was looking for her. 803 00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:51,120 Over the years, Kimberly had searched for Soon, 804 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:53,680 but had always run into dead ends. 805 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:56,200 Now she was anxious to be with her father again. 806 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:01,680 A few days later, Soon and his American sponsor 807 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:05,520 traveled to Louisiana for an emotional reunion with Kimberly. 808 00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:08,480 It was her first time together in more than 20 years. 809 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:08,960 Hi. 810 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:10,360 Hi. 811 00:41:10,360 --> 00:41:10,860 Oh. 812 00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:19,640 Soon was overcome with emotion. 813 00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:24,240 Still, he wanted to convey his feelings in English. 814 00:41:24,240 --> 00:41:32,720 When in Vietnam, I never think I can meet her. 815 00:41:32,720 --> 00:41:35,520 But now, it's my dream to be true. 816 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:41,080 I'm very, very happy. 817 00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:41,580 Soon? 818 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:46,600 And then we hugged, and then we said hello. 819 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:51,880 And then it was just, you can't describe the feeling. 820 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:55,360 It was just like, nice. 821 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:58,400 It doesn't do the feeling justice, 822 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:00,920 but it was just incredible, fantastic. 823 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:02,600 It was great. 824 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:08,400 Later that day, Soon celebrated with 20 members 825 00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:11,560 of Kimberly's family, including her mother, Wondland. 826 00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:12,560 I'm kind of a top-end. 827 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:15,240 I said she likes pineapple. 828 00:42:15,240 --> 00:42:19,280 To see them together is just a dream come true. 829 00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:26,320 A fairy tale that had had some bad detours, 830 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:29,400 but it came to a happy ending. 831 00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:31,160 Oh, this is a big day. 832 00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:33,640 A happy day. 833 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:37,480 I think I cannot forget it. 834 00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:38,480 Me, it's OK. 835 00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:39,960 Oh, no. 836 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:41,240 That's not fair. 837 00:42:41,240 --> 00:42:42,800 OK, then I want to enter. 838 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:47,640 I knew that wherever he was, that he loved me. 839 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:49,920 And I was always starting in my heart 840 00:42:49,920 --> 00:42:51,960 that one day we would be back together. 841 00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:54,080 We want to go to Krak, you enjoy it. 842 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:56,080 I love you. 843 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:58,840 For Soon and Kimberly, the end of their long search 844 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:02,720 marked the beginning of a new life for both of them. 845 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:13,920 On our next Unsolved Mysteries, for more than 60 years, 846 00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:16,600 a mysterious light has appeared above a stretch of railroad 847 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:18,240 tracks in Arkansas. 848 00:43:18,240 --> 00:43:21,080 Some say there is a scientific explanation. 849 00:43:21,080 --> 00:43:22,680 Others believe the light has nothing 850 00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:24,840 less than the ghost of a murdered railroad 851 00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:29,160 foreman, perhaps still searching for his killer. 852 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:32,760 And the final appeal of Stuart Heaton, DNA tests 853 00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:35,520 were the primary evidence that convicted him of a murder he 854 00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:36,840 swear he had committed. 855 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:39,800 But how accurate were the tests? 856 00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:41,440 Heaton may spend the rest of his life 857 00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:43,280 behind bars, waiting to find out. 858 00:43:46,600 --> 00:43:50,120 Join me next Friday for another intriguing edition 859 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:51,600 of Unsolved Mysteries.