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The Story of the Dead

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Tonight on Unsolved Mysteries

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A Florida woman meets a man of her dreams.

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Soon they chart a life together sailing around the world.

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But suddenly she vanishes.

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Could her boyfriend have had anything to do with her disappearance?

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A decaying marriage.

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A shocking case of arson.

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A wife is dead and her husband is on the run.

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A California teenager's vacation to Carson City, Nevada

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sparks a seemingly innocent summer romance.

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Does that relationship lead to her unexplained death just days later?

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What happened to Natasha?

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A young woman working two jobs struggles to support her daughter.

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Then when she ends a relationship with a possessive man, she ends up dead.

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Now police need your help to find her alleged killer, Michael Alfonso.

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Join me. Perhaps you hold the key.

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Perhaps you may be able to help solve a mystery.

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The Story of the Dead

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In April 1998, 51-year-old Colleen Wood moved from Dayton, Ohio to Boca Raton, Florida.

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Living in the Sunshine State was a culmination of a lifelong dream.

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The charming former high school homecoming queen went to work at Lighthouse Point Marina as office manager.

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Then in December 2000, following a whirlwind romance with the former professional race driver

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and Wall Street wizard named John Paul, Colleen suddenly vanished without a trace.

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To those who know her, it is unimaginable that she would not call or write.

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In the months following Colleen Wood's disappearance, a mystery only deepened and police are baffled.

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There is no body, no suicide note and no evidence of foul play.

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In fact, legally there is no crime and no suspect.

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While Colleen is listed as a missing person by Fort Lauderdale Police, her family and friends fear the worst.

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Detectives would like to talk to one person who might be able to shed some light on Colleen's fate, John Paul.

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But months after Colleen was last seen, he too mysteriously disappeared.

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Well, here she is, my island girl.

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Sometime in early 2000, Colleen Wood, a divorced mother of two grown kids, decided to give Cupid another chance.

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Wow, when you said you had a sailboat, I never imagined she'd be this big.

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She's big enough to sail the Atlantic and the Pacific.

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My mother met John Paul through a personal ad looking for a sailing companion.

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And she was impressed with his credentials.

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He said he was a, he had an MBA from Harvard and in the racing circle he was early famous.

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And he was also reputed to be wealthy due to his success in the ownership of Mutual Fund Company.

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Within a few months of their first date, Colleen and John had become inseparable.

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One evening following an intimate dinner, Colleen shared some of her hopes and dreams.

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Here's to dreams.

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Here's to our dreams.

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What is it that you'd like to do that you've never done before?

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Hmm.

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Well, I've always thought it'd be pretty fun to sail around the world.

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Well, why don't we do that?

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Colleen was surprised and thrilled when John suggested they make the voyage together,

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aboard his 55-foot schooner Island Girl.

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It was a wild adventure torn from the pages of a steamy romance novel.

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Within a few weeks, Colleen had sold her condominium and entrusted John with investing the net proceeds, $43,000.

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A short time later she moved in with him aboard Island Girl, then quit her job.

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Yeah, would you get some teak oil?

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Sure.

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I was very, very shocked when Colleen told me that she was leaving.

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I personally was very concerned about her selling all of her assets to take this trip.

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Colleen, are you sure about this?

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I mean, selling your car and your condo and everything?

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It seems a little risky putting all your eggs in one basket.

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I know, but you know what? This is something I've always wanted to do.

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Let's face it, I'm not getting any younger.

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Might be the only chance I have.

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You want to take a break?

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Yeah, in a minute. I've got to call Mike before I forget about it.

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On December 3, 2000, Colleen placed a call to her son in Ohio.

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Hello?

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Hey, Mike, it's Mom.

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She told a Island Girl was setting sail in a few weeks and she would be in touch soon.

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I keep hoping if I ignore them.

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According to Maureen Canada, she spoke to Colleen about 10 days later, on December 13 or 14, to invite her to the office Christmas party.

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Maureen, it's right here from here.

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Her cell phone number.

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And she happened to be in Key West at a bar with John Paul.

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She sounded fine. She sounded like she was having a good time.

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Great, so you can make the party.

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I wouldn't miss it for the world.

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All right, I'll see you Tuesday. Bye.

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Tuesday, the party came and went and she didn't show up.

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But I just assumed that something happened where there was possibly rough seas and they couldn't make it back on the boat.

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She didn't call us for Christmas, Christmas Eve.

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And after New Year, everyone was really worried.

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Friends of family were asking, haven't you heard?

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Because we know she would have called.

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I tried to call her on her cell phone and the account had been closed.

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Michael immediately contacted the police in Florida, but there was no evidence of any crime.

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Days turned to weeks, then months.

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Still, there was no sign of Colleen Wood.

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We spent the best part of January and February calling back and forth with the Coast Guard and FCC just trying to, in some way, identify and locate this boat.

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Back in Ohio, Colleen's son searched the Internet in hopes of finding an address or phone number for John Paul.

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What he discovered gave him grave concerns.

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I ran across an article that said that he had served time in prison.

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That he went to a federal penitentiary for approximately 15 years serving time for an attempted murder.

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I'm still thinking they're on a boat, but I'm thinking she's on a boat with a killer, a possible killer.

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It turned out Colleen's boyfriend was a mastermind behind a drug smuggling ring in the early 80s and tried to kill his partner in crime for allegedly ratting him out.

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John Paul was paroled in 1999 and met Colleen less than a year later.

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His plan to sail around the world was a direct violation of his parole.

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Family and friends were certain Colleen knew nothing about John Paul's past.

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However, his prison record wasn't the only thing that had some people troubled.

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John would later give three different accounts of his relationship with Colleen, which he says ended on the rocks.

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John allegedly told version one to his daughter.

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According to Michael, she said Colleen had become irate over an incident involving one of her father's old girlfriends and ended the relationship.

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When I heard that she had broken up in December, I was panicked, completely panicked.

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Michael pleaded with John Paul's daughter to have her father call him. Three days later, he did. And a second version of the story emerged.

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He told me that they had an argument. He said he didn't remember what it was about.

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But after the argument, she left the boat and then she came back with her football player boyfriend.

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She gathered all of her belongings and she left the boat and he hasn't seen her since.

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I found a missing person's report immediately with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

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In April 2001, some four months after Colleen was last heard from, detectives Mark Shotwell and Al Stone were assigned to the case.

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Their investigation quickly led to some suspicious activity on Colleen's credit cards.

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In a two-month period between mid-December to mid-February, in excess of 80 transactions, cash advancements totaling over $40,000 had occurred on Colleen Wood's cards.

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We were able to come up with good solid physical evidence that not only did Colleen Wood not make any of the transactions, they were not made with her consent.

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If Colleen wasn't withdrawing cash from the ATMs, then who was?

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The police are still investigating and would only say it was a woman, perhaps more than one.

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Also raising suspicion were two ads that appeared in a local newspaper.

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Both of these ads were placed in the name of Colleen Wood using her credit cards.

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Both of the ads were ordered by a male.

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The first ad that ran in early December was in the help wanted section looking for a first mate on the boat.

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The second ad that ran mid-December was in the romance male-seeking female section.

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Had the ads been placed by John Paul, detectives weren't sure.

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They did know the second ad began running on December 16, 2000.

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About the same time Maureen Canada had spoken to Colleen by phone.

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According to Maureen, Colleen told her then that she was partying with John in Key West and everything was fine.

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Detectives Shot Well and Stone were anxious to hear about the events of December 2000 from John Paul himself.

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They finally tracked him down in May 2001.

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It was then, according to detectives, that John offered his third version of the breakup with Colleen.

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I'd like to ask you a few questions about Colleen Wood.

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Sure, how can I help you?

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Have you heard from her lately?

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Well, no, I can't help you there.

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John Paul said that in mid-December.

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He and Colleen had a large fight over money.

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That Colleen Wood owed him money and it made no effort to repay it.

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But the alleged inconsistent stories weren't all the detectives claimed had them troubled.

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My partner and I both noticed that he was becoming increasingly more nervous.

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I found it unusual that he seemed to have so little concern over a woman that he lived with that he loved.

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I haven't seen her since, you know?

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Just a very unusual interview, very little compassion shown on his part.

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Or if you can think of anything else that may help us out, we'd appreciate it if you'd give us a call.

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Of course.

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Despite the allegations of suspicious behavior and the inconsistent stories regarding John and his breakup with Colleen,

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there is no solid evidence to indicate he had anything to do with her disappearance.

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In fact, John Paul may have no knowledge whatsoever about the mystery surrounding Colleen Wood.

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He has not been named a suspect in the case.

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We have nobody, no physical evidence to show us what happened to Colleen, but I can tell you it's not good.

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I don't believe Colleen Wood is with us anymore.

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I know she's gone.

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It's scary to know that something like this can happen to someone who's so close to you.

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You think it happens to everybody else, but you know what? I'm everybody else.

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We need to find out what happened. We need to know.

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If indeed he's responsible for the death of my mother, I really want to see justice served.

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John Paul has apparently left town, violating the terms of his parole.

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Detectives would like to find him, to question him again about the disappearance of Colleen Wood.

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According to her family, Jean Weaver's troubled marriage is nearing its end.

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Let's be done with this joke of a relationship that we're saying is a marriage, that we're saying is a family.

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They say that after 17 years together, she tells her husband Gordon she is seeking a divorce.

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This is done, Gordon. This is done.

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This is done.

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Jean's family says they are concerned.

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They claim they have always considered Gordon strange, a reclusive loner who never attended any family functions.

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They are uncertain how he will react.

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I'm going to try her again.

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Two days after Jean's decision, her sister Kathy becomes worried.

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Jean almost compulsively punctual is 45 minutes late for a family gathering.

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Kathy and her husband Tom are driving to her home to discover why.

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We get to the house and I'm panicking by then.

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I heard this beeping noise. I didn't know what it was.

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I was thinking, I don't understand this.

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And then it hit me that was the fire alarm.

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It was smoke obscuring the windows and I screamed at Tom.

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Tom, the house is full of smoke.

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Dial 911. Jean.

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As firefighters race to the scene, Kathy and Tom try to determine if Jean is in the house.

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But the thick smoke is too stifling to penetrate.

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Three minutes later, the firefighters arrive.

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In the basement, they discover that the fire's intensity has caused water pipes to burst.

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They also discover Jean Weaver.

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A valiant effort is made to save her life.

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And then the police chief comes over and says she's gone.

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I just ran and I ran and I screamed and I screamed.

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I was so scared.

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I was so scared.

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I just ran and I ran and I screamed and I screamed.

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I just can't begin to say how special Jean was.

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Investigators in White Bear Lake, Minnesota determined that the fire causing a death of Jean Weaver was deliberately set.

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Burn patterns were consistent with the case of arson.

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In autopsy revealed that Jean had sustained a head injury but died from smoke inhalation.

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The police believed Jean had been murdered.

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They and Jean's family turned a suspicious eye on her husband, Gordon Weaver.

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Gordon Weaver had every advantage in life, yet seemed destined to struggle.

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He was a son of wealthy parents but was plagued by financial problems.

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He had a high IQ but experienced deep bouts of depression.

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As a golf and tennis club he owned was failing, he witnessed Jean build a successful career in the human resources industry.

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Her family wondered if his disintegrating relationship with Jean had led him to a desperate act.

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We wanted so much to find out that it was just a horrible accident that he had nothing to do with it.

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But the more time passed, I started to think that Courtney had actually killed Jean.

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It was unbelievable, but I believed it.

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Jean's family claims that almost from the beginning her marriage to Gordon was troubled.

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They say that Joy Jean rarely experienced as a wife she found as a mother.

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As the years passed, her love for her son grew, but her devotion to Gordon withered.

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Yeah, Gordon, could you just look at me while we talk about this?

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What Jean would say about Courtney is that he would withdraw into himself.

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For many years I just felt sorry for him because he seemed unhappy and just couldn't have a normal relationship with Jean.

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And she wasn't happy at all, but she thought it was the best for their son to remain together as a family.

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A family crisis forced Jean to reevaluate her marriage.

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Her third sister, Patty, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

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Patty died and that is what precipitated Jean into thinking life is too short to stay married.

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I'm asking Gordon for a divorce.

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According to Jean's sisters, Gordon reacted to her divorce plans by asking her an ominous question.

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He said, have you told anyone this?

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And Jean goes, no, we left.

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Because we said, you know, as if you wouldn't tell your sisters that you were going to get a divorce.

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You know, and now I think, why didn't that hit me?

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Why didn't I say Jean?

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Make sure you tell him that everyone knows you're going to get a divorce.

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But I can't explain why that didn't occur to me.

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Just three days after Jean's alleged conversation with her sisters, she was found dead.

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That morning, her son was at a soccer game and Gordon said he divided his time working at his office and running errands.

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Gordon returned home immediately after police contacted him by phone.

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We were not able to give him a whole lot of information at that time and he was asked to voluntarily come up to the police.

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To speak to one of our investigators, which was myself.

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Was my wife in the house? Is she alright?

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00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,000
Mr. Weaver, I'm afraid I've seen bad news.

223
00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:38,000
Was she hurt?

224
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,000
I'm afraid your wife passed away.

225
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,000
I'm sorry.

226
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:49,000
Some of his mannerisms or behavior was not what one would expect.

227
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:58,000
Having come home and finding his house surrounded by evidence tape and then being told that his wife was killed in the fire.

228
00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:03,000
And we began to suspect that he was possibly involved in the death of Jean Weaver.

229
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:10,000
Detective Braun secured Gordon's permission to have forensics experts examine the clothes he was wearing that day.

230
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:16,000
On them, they found traces of two flammable liquids that they also found on Jean's body.

231
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:27,000
Investigators also learned that Jean's life insurance policies, totally more than $350,000 were due to lapse just two days after she was killed.

232
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,000
The sole beneficiary was Gordon.

233
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:35,000
Jean's sister, Kathy Riesgaard, believes she knows what happened.

234
00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:41,000
I believe Gordon went to confront Jean and I believe he pushed her or shoved her.

235
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:48,000
She had a wound to the head and he panicked.

236
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,000
And he set my sister on fire.

237
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:08,000
My sister was alive when he set her on fire.

238
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,000
Because of the fire, some water pipes burst in the basement.

239
00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:29,000
The water pipes appeared to contain the fire to the Laundromere area and also help preserve her body to the point that the medical examiner could do a complete autopsy and locate the head injury and some other physical evidence.

240
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:35,000
Twelve days after Jean's death, Gordon Weaver was arrested for her murder.

241
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,000
He was soon released on bail.

242
00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:44,000
The FBI says a $300,000 cash bond was provided by his parents.

243
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:51,000
Four months later, while awaiting his indictment hearing, he borrowed his parents' car.

244
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:58,000
They said he was going to Chicago for a vacation alone.

245
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:08,000
Two days later, the car was found abandoned in Summit, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

246
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:15,000
Blood stains found inside appear to indicate that Gordon Weaver had been the victim of a violent carjacking.

247
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:22,000
Forensics experts determined the blood was human, but were unable to determine if it was Gordon's.

248
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:27,000
The timing of things is just all too coincidental for him to disappear or be carjacked.

249
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:35,000
It's a week before that he is going to be indicted by a Ramsey County grand jury for first degree murder.

250
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,000
It doesn't make any kind of sense at all.

251
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:46,000
Did Gordon stage his disappearance or did he indeed meet with foul play, as his parents say they firmly believe?

252
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:53,000
Two days after his car was found, an unexpected phone call apparently solved the mystery.

253
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:54,000
Hello, Golf and Tennis.

254
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,000
It was received by a business associate of Gordon's.

255
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,000
This individual identified the person as Gordon Weaver.

256
00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:10,000
Gordon Weaver asked if they found his car, this coworker, spoke to them for just a very brief time, and then Gordon Weaver hung up.

257
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,000
We do not believe in any way, shape or form, that Gordon Weaver is dead.

258
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:22,000
His family has indicated that that is what they believe, but the phone call makes it all crystal clear

259
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,000
that Gordon Weaver did not die in that vehicle on that night.

260
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,000
Gordon Weaver is still on the run.

261
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:36,000
Why should he be off somewhere and Jean, the most beautiful person that you could imagine, is gone forever?

262
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:43,000
If I knew them, what I knew now, I would never have left Jean alone for a second.

263
00:23:52,000 --> 00:24:19,000
A summer afternoon in Carson City, Nevada, Sandra Jennings receives an urgent call from her brother, Clarence.

264
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:25,000
He's trying to locate his 16-year-old daughter Natasha, who's visiting them from California.

265
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:27,000
Natasha?

266
00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,000
I had called home. My sister answered the phone. I asked her if Natasha was home.

267
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:37,000
She set the phone down. She peeked out the back door. She didn't see her, so she went upstairs.

268
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:39,000
Oh my God!

269
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,000
Natasha!

270
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,000
That's why I heard her scream.

271
00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,000
Clarence, I found Natasha. She's on the floor. She's not breathing.

272
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,000
I told her, well, hang up right now. Call 911. I'm on my way.

273
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:56,000
I'll call.

274
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,000
Tragically, Natasha Jennings was already dead when the paramedics arrived.

275
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:13,000
Ultimately, three theories on the cause of her death would emerge, involving accusations of drug abuse, sexual assault, and murder.

276
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:20,000
Along the way, the reputations of Natasha and her family will be subjected to Salacious Rumor and Innuendo.

277
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:25,000
And of this day, how Natasha Jennings died remains a mystery.

278
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,000
Natasha Jennings lived with her mother in Southern California.

279
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:38,000
When she was very young, her parents divorced, a situation that affected Natasha deeply.

280
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:45,000
In fact, Natasha had hoped her visit to Carson City would spark a stronger relationship with her father.

281
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:53,000
I told her, no, at first. I said, no, you're not going. But then I didn't want to put her in the middle of our disagreements.

282
00:25:54,000 --> 00:26:00,000
What I feel towards her father is my own business, and doesn't involve her that is her father.

283
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,000
Among her circle of friends, Natasha was a sensitive one.

284
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:13,000
As soon as she met someone, they were her friend. She always had something good to say. She was outgoing.

285
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:18,000
The most caring person I've ever met. She just kept everyone that she knew close to her heart.

286
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:25,000
Sadly, Ingrid Kotar would now only have those cherished memories of her best friend to hold on to.

287
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:31,000
Natasha's last day began uneventfully. She had lunch with her aunt at one.

288
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:39,000
Later that afternoon, Clarence Jennings placed several calls to his daughter.

289
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:46,000
He had become increasingly worried when he was unable to reach her.

290
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:54,000
When police arrived at the scene, they found Natasha and her mother.

291
00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:59,000
Natasha has her aunt at father, slumped across the bedroom floor.

292
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:06,000
Her hair was damp as if she had just bathed. An electric fan inexplicably lay on top of her.

293
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:16,000
Anytime you have a young individual that's deceased for no specific apparent cause or reason,

294
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:24,000
it's suspicious, it's treated as a homicide. Until such time as we can shift gears and say that it's something else.

295
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:34,000
Although there were no outward signs of trauma to Natasha's body, investigators quickly developed their first theory.

296
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:42,000
Attention was directed at a young Carson City man Natasha had become close to, whom we will call Chris.

297
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:48,000
Allegations had already been raised that Chris had sexually assaulted her just days before.

298
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:55,000
The investigation revealed that Natasha and Chris had joined a group of friends at an impromptu party.

299
00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:03,000
The get-together dragged late into the night. Those who had been drinking were invited to wait until morning to drive home.

300
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:09,000
No one saw what Natasha and Chris did the rest of the night.

301
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:13,000
Good morning.

302
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:15,000
Good morning. Take care.

303
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:26,000
According to Ingrid Kotar, her friend in California, a confused and traumatized Natasha called the following morning to tell her something had happened after the party.

304
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:28,000
Natasha, what's up?

305
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:38,000
Natasha told me she had blacked out from, she was drinking and she had blacked out and that Chris had raped her.

306
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:41,000
Do you know where Natasha lives?

307
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:43,000
I don't remember.

308
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:52,000
Chris was interrogated. However, detectives concluded that whatever may have happened between him and Natasha, his actions had not been criminal.

309
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:58,000
The autopsy report was conclusive that she was not sexually assaulted.

310
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:05,000
As soon as Natasha's mother learned of her death, she rushed to Carson City.

311
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:20,000
I spoke with everybody that she was around. I went to places that she had been. I handed out flyers, I mean, thousands upon thousands upon thousands.

312
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:27,000
Tammy Stelton's efforts brought a new and unexpected theory to light.

313
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,000
I was at the shopping center passing out flyers when a woman approached me.

314
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,000
And she was very scared.

315
00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:46,000
She was very skittish in watching over her shoulder and she says, I know what happened to your daughter.

316
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,000
She wrote her telephone number down and she goes here and she goes, call me.

317
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:59,000
The woman claimed that Natasha's father, Clarence, was a drug informant for local law enforcement authorities.

318
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,000
She said drug dealers had found out and killed Natasha in retaliation.

319
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:16,000
My ex-wife had asked me, is there any possibility that they might have had something to do with it in retaliation for my being an informant for the police department?

320
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:24,000
And my job dropped. I've never, never been an informant for the police department.

321
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:32,000
Led by Natasha's mother, a group of relatives confronted one of the Carson City detectives assigned to Natasha's case.

322
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:43,000
And we asked him if, you know, if he was aware that Clarence was, or Natasha's father was an informant, you know, and he didn't deny it at all.

323
00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,000
He said yes, he was aware of it.

324
00:30:46,000 --> 00:31:01,000
I can say based upon our records and the records of the Nevada Division of Investigations, which would be more typified as state narcotics, Clarence Jennings was not, nor was he ever a documented informant for either agency.

325
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,000
How long have you known Natasha Jennings?

326
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:10,000
But soon yet another theory, the third, would redirect the course of the investigation.

327
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:18,000
Authorities still believed the drug connection could have played a vital role in Natasha's death, but with a stunning new twist.

328
00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,000
Do you ever see Natasha use any kind of drugs?

329
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:24,000
No, Natasha would never use drugs.

330
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:31,000
Investigators were now speculating that Natasha had brought about her own death by overdosing on drugs.

331
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,000
They focused on two pieces of evidence.

332
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:46,000
A scrap of plastic recovered on a landing outside Natasha's bedroom contained traces of methamphetamine, commonly known as speed, and cocaine.

333
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:53,000
And an examination of Natasha's body had revealed a minute amount of the drugs in her nostrils.

334
00:31:54,000 --> 00:32:00,000
The cocaine and methamphetamine can lead to increased body temperature, hyperthermia.

335
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:09,000
I think she probably took a bath to cool down, and she was then in the process of drying her hair when she collapsed, most likely a spasm.

336
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:17,000
They said she was on a five-day drug and drink and sex party.

337
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:21,000
And I was like, uh-uh.

338
00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:25,000
I just, I know my daughter.

339
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:27,000
She wouldn't have used.

340
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:36,000
The official investigation reports states that the medical examiner found no drug residue in Natasha's system during autopsy.

341
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:51,000
If you snored cocaine on Monday and you're deceased on Friday and we do a toxicology, we may find remnants of the drug, perhaps in your nose or maybe an injection point or something like that.

342
00:32:52,000 --> 00:33:01,000
But the actual toxicology of your blood and urine and whatnot may produce a zero amount.

343
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,000
Today the investigation has hit a dead end.

344
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:13,000
For Tammy Stelton, all the theories and endless speculation have only produced frustration and more questions.

345
00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:21,000
All I wanted was answers. For somebody to talk to me and explain to me what's been going on with her. But nobody will. Nobody has.

346
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:27,000
The unfortunate part is, I don't have an answer for the mother.

347
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:39,000
This girl was 16 years old. She had her entire life ahead of her. And we don't have any answers. We don't have the bottom line.

348
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:45,000
I didn't want her to go.

349
00:33:52,000 --> 00:34:00,000
And I was kind of mad at myself because I had felt it and didn't take heed to those emotions.

350
00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:08,000
I had actually sent her a note telling her that I wanted her to come home. She didn't make it back.

351
00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:15,000
Officially the investigation into the 1997 death of Natasha Jennings is still open.

352
00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:29,000
At a motel room in Elgin, Illinois, Michael Alfonso has reached a breaking point.

353
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:34,000
Desperately willing to go to any lengths to save a relationship.

354
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:45,000
His girlfriend, single mother Josephina Gonzalez, has agreed to meet with him to listen to his final plea.

355
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,000
But Michael refuses to accept her decision.

356
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,000
No, no, no, no!

357
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:57,000
After Alfonso stabs her, he tries to escape with Josephina's two-year-old child.

358
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:06,000
Although severely wounded, Josephina fights back. She saves her son by punching Michael Alfonso's own knife into his back.

359
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:11,000
He drops a child and bleeding flees into the night.

360
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,000
Josephina Gonzalez and her son recovered from the 1994 attack.

361
00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:23,000
Michael Alfonso was arrested when he sought treatment for his wounds.

362
00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:28,000
Alfonso would be convicted of aggravated battery and served four years in prison.

363
00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:36,000
Tragically, Josephina Gonzalez would not be the last of Alfonso's relationships to allegedly end in violence.

364
00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:46,000
In June 2001, Hena Velasquez, separated from her husband, was working two jobs to support her young daughter.

365
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:54,000
Unfortunately for Hena, Michael Alfonso also worked at one of those companies, and he had Hena in his sights.

366
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:56,000
He scared me.

367
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:02,000
I was not going away before anybody saw me. I've got like five minutes now. I came in here just to ask you out to dinner.

368
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:04,000
Tonight?

369
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:06,000
Yeah, tonight.

370
00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:08,000
I'm off around eight, so if you want to come back around eight.

371
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:14,000
Hena's relationship with Michael Alfonso continued to grow as her own marital relationship deteriorated.

372
00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:22,000
She didn't talk about any relationship with him, but she always said, I'm alive right now. I got to do what I can right now.

373
00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:27,000
And she also wanted a good future for her and for her daughter.

374
00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,000
Hena's second job was at a local fast-food restaurant.

375
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:35,000
She had shared with a co-worker the difficulties she was having with her estranged husband.

376
00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:37,000
Hello.

377
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:43,000
Hena was having marriage problems. I said, you just got to communicate with each other, and everything will be okay.

378
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:51,000
And then, about a few days later, Hena starts getting these phone calls at work.

379
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:53,000
Hena, for you.

380
00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:55,000
Hello?

381
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:57,000
Yeah, we're busy right now.

382
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:01,000
And this man starts calling like every other day there.

383
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:07,000
Then I asked her, I says, who is this man calling you at work? And she would not answer me.

384
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:09,000
She would not tell me.

385
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:11,000
Yeah, we're just friends, everything's fine.

386
00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,000
She said, I know what I'm doing, I know what I'm doing. I said, okay, then, fine.

387
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:20,000
But Rene Anderson's concern for her young friend would prove prophetic.

388
00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:28,000
When Hena Velazquez made a decision to reconcile with her husband, she would see Michael Alfonso's darker side.

389
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:30,000
My husband and I are getting back together.

390
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:32,000
Me and my husband.

391
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:34,000
What does that mean? That means you're leaving me? No, you're not going to leave me.

392
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:39,000
Michael Alfonso is an aggressive, violent man. When he doesn't get his way, he gets angry.

393
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:46,000
Many of his friends tell us that they're scared of him, that they don't know which way he's going to turn because he's so unpredictable.

394
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:48,000
Hena, I'm talking to you.

395
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:50,000
Did you hear me?

396
00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:52,000
Okay, there's nothing.

397
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:56,000
You're not going anywhere. You don't break up with me, or I hurt you and your family.

398
00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:09,000
Hena was so frightened by Alfonso's threats that she notified authorities.

399
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:14,000
Hi, this is Hena Velazquez. This guy was seen as threatening me.

400
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:20,000
She did not want to pursue any criminal charges at the time because she was deathly afraid of retaliation by Michael Alfonso.

401
00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:24,000
No, you can't talk to him. I know he's going to do something.

402
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:29,000
A pretty clear pattern of Michael Alfonso's behavior has emerged here.

403
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:37,000
It seems as though when he begins to date a woman and the relationship goes sour, he gets angry at the woman and does not want them to leave.

404
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:40,000
And what he does is he reacts with violence.

405
00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:49,000
The day after Hena's altercation with Michael Alfonso, Alfonso reportedly confronted her at the restaurant where she worked.

406
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:51,000
I told you it's over between us.

407
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:58,000
According to what one customer told me, some man comes up to her and they start arguing.

408
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,000
It was a very heated argument from what the customer told me.

409
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:12,000
Hena's husband, who also worked at the same restaurant, was taking a rest break in his car on the other side of the building and had no idea his wife was in danger.

410
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:19,000
Don't run away from me. I told you don't turn your back on me. Do not leave me. Do you regret this?

411
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:32,000
One of the witnesses was in an automobile waiting in the drive-thru line for food.

412
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:40,000
Michael walked directly at her vehicle and walked between her car and the drive-thru and she looked at his face and noticed that he had a smirk on his face.

413
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:46,000
Another witness reported the hooded desalant ran toward a dark colored car.

414
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:54,000
There was a person that noticed a black firebird type of a vehicle drive away at a high rate of speed.

415
00:39:55,000 --> 00:40:02,000
We know from records that Michael Alfonso owns a 1994 black colored Pontiac Firebird.

416
00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:07,000
Oh baby. Oh my god. Look at her.

417
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:14,000
I'm holding Hena and I said to her, hold on Hena, hold on. Everything's going to be okay.

418
00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:21,000
Surrounded by her friends and coworkers, 28-year-old Hena Velazquez struggled for life.

419
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:29,000
Hena would not win that fight. She was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a hospital.

420
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:37,000
When an all-points bulletin went out for the capture of Michael Alfonso, police learned they were in search of a career criminal.

421
00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:46,000
Before Alfonso served a four-year prison term for the attack on Josefina Gonzalez, he had served time for a 1989 rape.

422
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:55,000
Even then, investigators knew Alfonso was a threat to society, but were disappointed by the leniency of the court.

423
00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:05,000
We asked for lengthier prison sentence. The judge disagreed with us and didn't feel that Alfonso posed a threat to the community.

424
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:13,000
Of course, history has proved differently. He is a tremendous threat to any woman who he becomes involved with.

425
00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:21,000
Authorities were also suspicious of Alfonso's involvement in the unsolved 1992 disappearance of a young woman he was dating.

426
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:32,000
Sumonir Yang reportedly informed Alfonso she intended to break up with him and return to her husband and was never seen alive again.

427
00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:42,000
Any woman that he gets involved in a relationship with is in grave danger unless they accede to all his demands and remain his loyal servant.

428
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,000
They are in danger of being raped or killed.

429
00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:53,000
Two months after her disappearance, the body of Sumonir Yang was discovered in a remote area.

430
00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:57,000
She had been shot in the head.

431
00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:08,000
But despite the suspicions of law enforcement, Michael Alfonso was currently wanted only for the murder of Hena Velazquez.

432
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:14,000
And for the friends and family of Hena, the grieving has just begun.

433
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:20,000
I can't accept that she's dead.

434
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:28,000
I'm hoping one day she'll come up to me and tell me that this is a joke.

435
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:30,000
This is a lie.

436
00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:36,000
This guy doesn't deserve to be helped or he doesn't deserve anything.

437
00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:43,000
I mean, he doesn't even deserve to live because he's taking other human beings' life.

438
00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:49,000
So if anyone is helping him, he doesn't deserve no help.

439
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,000
He deserves to be behind bars.

440
00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:19,000
Every mystery has a potential to be solved.

441
00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:27,000
It may take months, may take years, or it may occur during our next edition of Unsolved Mysteries.