All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S06E08.480p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD 2.0.x264-AJP69_track3_[eng]

VOICEOVER: This program is
about unsolved mysteries.

Whenever possible, the
actual family members

and police officials
have participated

in recreating the events.

What you are about to see
is not a news broadcast.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In California, a deadly fire

ravages a house trailer.

One 16-year-old girl
dies at the scene.

Her injured twin sister
succumbs four weeks later.

Then the family suffers
another cruel blow

when the girl's own
half-brother becomes

a chief suspect in a bizarre
scenario of murder and arson.

1955 was a summer
of romance for Maria

Bauer and Michael Seymour.

While working at a
resort near Chicago,

they felt passionately in love.

But when Maria returned
to her native Germany,

she returned alone and pregnant.

Nearly 40 years later,
her son Christoph

needs your help to find his
birth father Michael Seymour.

When bank executive John
Grundhofer arrived at work

on November 19, 1990,
he became a target

of a most bizarre kidnapping.

His abductor was overweight,
oddly dressed, and clumsy,

but he wielded what appeared
to be a homemade bomb,

demanded $3 million in cash.

Nearly three years,
this unlikely criminal

has managed to
elude authorities.

Perhaps someone watching tonight
will be able to identify.

Join me for another
intriguing edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

In 1990, the FBI was
called in to investigate

one of the most
bizarre kidnappings

they've ever encountered.

The perpetrator
was an overweight,

middle-aged man who wore thick
glasses and a floppy rain hat--

hardly the profile of
a dangerous criminal.

Yet that is exactly what he was,
made more dangerous by the fact

that his scheme was
flawed from the outset

and bungled at nearly
every step along the way.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Minneapolis,

Minnesota, November 19, 1990.

At 8:10 AM, John Grundhofer,
a wealthy, hard-nosed business

executive was
approaching his office.

Grundhofer was Chairman and
President of First Bank System.

Appointed in 1989 with a
directive to trim the fat,

he had saved the bank
millions by eliminating

more than 2,000 jobs.

Grundhofer was a man
used to scrutiny,

but as he arrived at
work that morning,

he had no idea that his
every move was being watched.

You're going to
have to go with me.

What do you mean?

Just get back in the car.

There must be some mistake.

I have no business with you.

I think you do.

This is Carl and you
are going with me.

What do you want?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Grundhofer kept his cool.

In fact, he was about to
spring a surprise of his own.

The commotion soon drew
the attention of a witness.

What are you doing?

JEFF RASMUSSON: I heard shouting
and I looked over and saw

two men rolling on the ground.

It was at that point I thought
there was a mugging going on,

so I started to run
over there to help

whoever was being mugged.

And I got about halfway there
when the gentleman had both

gotten up and started to act
like they knew each other,

and so I slowed to a walk.

What's wrong?

Is somebody sick?

You need some help?

Look, you better
get out of here.

At first it seemed
so unreal that I almost

laughed at the gentleman, and
then I realized it was real

and I was in danger.

And at that point,
I was terrified

that I was going to be shot,
and I then ran to the elevator.

Back up and get us
out of this garage.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The gunman ordered

Grundhofer into the car.

It was 8:13 AM.

Just three minutes had
passed since Grundhofer

drove into the parking garage.

JOHN GRUNDHOFER (ACTOR): Now
where do you want me to drive?

GUNMAN: Just head east.

Just head towards Wisconsin.

And give me your arm.

What do want with them?

Give me your left
arm and shut up.

See, to avoid any
further difficulties,

I'm going to attach
this dynamite to you.

That way, if you give
me any other problems,

all I've got to do
is push a button.

RICHARD LIND: I think his
intention was to frighten Mr.

Grundhofer sufficiently enough
that he would be very compliant

and do what he was told to do.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At virtually that same morn,

a passerby in the garage
found what the FBI believes

was a cheat sheet
for the kidnapper,

reminding him exactly
what he was going

to order Grundhofer to do.

RICHARD LIND: I believe
that the kidnapper is not

really a professional criminal.

It would seem to
me that if you're

going to commit
that kind of a crime

that you could basically do
it off the top of your head,

if you will.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At around 8:45,

Grundhofer and the
gunman were crossing

the state line into Wisconsin,
35 miles from Minneapolis.

It was clear that the abductor
had done his homework.

Who takes charge
when you're not around?

Maybe some vice president.

Does Scott Taylor take over?

You know Scott Taylor?

Never mind.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At 8:57,

the kidnapper offered
Grundhofer to pull

into a secluded rest area.

They were now 46 miles
from Minneapolis.

RICHARD LIND: When they
arrived at the wayside,

the kidnapper handed
Mr. Grundhofer a note.

Mr. Grundhofer then made a
phone call to his secretary who

transcribed the ransom demands.

I am a hostage of a group
called Parents Against Drugs.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The demand was for $3 million

in various denominations-- $100,
$500, and even $1,000 bills.

Once again, the kidnapper
had tipped his hand

above his own inexperience.

$1 million in $500s and
$1 million in $1,000s.

RICHARD LIND: A
professional criminal would

never ask for a $1,000 bill.

You don't exactly
take a $1,000 bill

and go to a convenience
store, buy a cup of coffee,

and ask for change.

There aren't too
many people that

carry $1,000 bills with them.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Officials

at First Bank System began
preparing the $3 million

ransom.

At around that same time, a
gunman was discovering that he

had made a crucial mistake.

He had lost his cheat sheet.

Have you got the note?

What note?

The note from
the parking garage.

I don't know what
you're talking about.

I used a note before.

I had written a few things down.

Are you sure you didn't take it?

I haven't seen this note.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
gunman became more agitated.

Shut up about it.
Let's just go.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): He forced

Grundhofer to hike down a steep
slope in remote, wooded area.

Got to rest a minute.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The kidnapper

was apparently so
out of shape that he

struggled to make the descent.

Eventually, the two
men reached a spot

where a plastic sack containing
a sleeping bag had been left.

Wait.
Wait a minute.

Hold up.

Wait right there.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The gunman moved quickly.

He removed the bomb.

He bound Grundhofer's
hands with a nylon rope,

forced him into the sleeping
bag, taped his mouth shut.

Grundhofer worked for 20
minutes to free himself.

When he realized that no one
was watching, he went for help.

At 10:25, Grundhofer called his
office from a nearby farmhouse.

The ransom was never paid.

The kidnapping made headlines
throughout the Midwest.

10 days later, the
FBI set up a hotline

and published this
composite drawing.

The response was immediate.

A man named John Henderson,
who bore a striking resemblance

to the composite, was
identified as the kidnapper

by two different callers.

Henderson was a maintenance
worker who lived 25

miles outside of Minneapolis.

He had never worked
at First Bank System

and had no apparent
connection to Grundhofer.

JOHN HENDERSON: I
was stunned when

they started questioning
me about a kidnapping

case that had just happened.

They wanted to search,
and I told him go ahead.

I had nothing to hide.

And they searched my car
and my garage and the house.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
FBI requested that Henderson

participate in a
lineup, even though they

had found no physical
evidence that

connected him to the crime.

Step forward and
say the line again.

This is Carl, and
you are coming with me.

DETECTIVE: Do you
see the man who

kidnapped you in the lineup?

It's number three.

JOHN HENDERSON: I had no
worries about the lineup,

because I know I didn't do it.

And even though he identified
me, I know I didn't do it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Despite Grundhofer's

positive identification,
Jeff Rasmusson,

the eyewitness in the
garage, did not pick

Henderson out of the lineup.

Nevertheless, the FBI
continued to look for evidence.

A handwriting sample was taken.

It did not match the note.

However, the FBI
felt that Henderson's

alibi was less than airtight.

Later, he became the target
of a grand jury investigation,

but in the end no
charges were filed.

JOHN HENDERSON: So far the
FBI hasn't found anything.

And they won't find anything,
because I didn't do it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Next, a family

is torn apart by accusations
of arson and murder.

The story you are
about to see involves

a brutal double homicide, which
took place several years ago.

To this day, the case
remains unsolved,

and a family has been
ripped apart by accusations

of arson and murder.

Time may never heal the
wounds of this complex case,

but perhaps someone watching
may have some small clue

that could help
bring the perpetrator

or perpetrators to justice.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Willow Creek, California,

population 1,000, is
situated in the heart

of the state's timber
country, some 250

miles north of San Francisco.

Hans and Betty Hansen moved
to this quiet community

in 1971, three years
after they were married.

Hans operated a
logging supply business

in a warehouse next to
the couple's mobile home.

The Hansen family grew to
include four children--

Donny and Becky from
Betty's prior marriage

and twin girls Jill and Julie.

HANS HANSEN: Jill and Julie
were good, sensible kids.

They were a little shy
until you got to know them,

but they had real good sense.

They would kind of be more
friendly to underdog people,

and they were real
popular girls in school.

So if a new person came to
school or something that

wasn't taken in so much
by the other people,

they would befriend them.

BETTY HANSEN: They seemed to
view people from the inside.

It didn't matter
what they looked like

or how much money they
had or who they were.

They were kind to everyone.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For Betty and Hans,

life was close to perfect until
the night of November 14, 1986.

At around 11:00 PM,
the 16-year-old twins

were in their room
preparing for bed.

Their half-brother
Donny, age 21,

was visiting from the town
of Fortuna, 70 miles away.

He would sleep on a
couch in the family room.

At around 3:00 AM, Betty
Hansen suddenly awoke.

Hans, get up.

What?

I smell smoke.

Get the kids.

Oh, no.

Jill!

Jill!

Julie!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Today Hans and Betty's memories

are a blur of fragmented images,
but that night they were struck

by several things that, even
in the midst of the chaos,

didn't quite make sense.

HANS HANSEN: If I shot that
fire extinguisher down the hall,

it burned right back up.

There was a strip in the
middle of that hallway burning.

I remember that going through
my mind that it's real odd,

that coming back in
a strip like that.

And still I got no
response from anybody.

I was yelling all
three of their names

and then exited the house.

As I ran out the door, I kicked
the gas can out of the way,

not really thinking
much of it until I

got a few steps away,
thinking that gas

can shouldn't have been there.

It was empty, because I felt how
it was empty when I kicked it.

BETTY HANSEN: I went
up the little hallway,

and the first person
I saw was Donny.

And he was standing at
the end of the couch

where I think he had slept that
night, and he didn't see me.

And he's screaming
in a horrible voice.

He's screaming get out of here
real loud and running, chasing.

And so right away, I was afraid
for him, what was happening,

who he was chasing out.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Betty ran

into the shop, where a number of
fire extinguishers were stored.

She was met first by
Donny, then by Hans.

Hans!

Betty, call the
fire department!

Hurry!

HANS HANSEN: When I got to
the shop, I got a ladder

and came up to Jill's room
and just shoved that ladder

right through the window.

The room was totally in flames,
totally engulfed in flame.

And I didn't get any
response or see anybody.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Hans, Betty, and Donny

continuously returned
to the warehouse

for fire extinguishers.

Did you call the fire de--

Yes, I did.

Yes.

Jill and Julie-- have
you seen Jill and Julie?

- No.
- Ugh.

HANS HANSEN: I
remember asking Donny

as we were chasing back and
forth for fire extinguishers,

did you see anybody?

And he said, no, he
didn't see anything.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Fire trucks

roared to the scene
within 15 minutes,

but for Hans and Betty,
assuming that Jill

and Julie were still inside the
trailer, it was an eternity.

Minutes later, the Hansens
were both shocked and relieved

when a neighbor noticed a
crumpled figure in a vacant lot

across the road.

Julie?

It's Julie Hansen.

Julie, what happened?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Julie was

nearly dead, bleeding
profusely from a gaping wound

in her stomach.

I'm going to go get some help.

HANS HANSEN: I heard somebody
yell from across the street,

we found one of them,
or something like that.

Then the next thing, Donny
came running up on the deck,

and he said, we found Julie.

Julie's out.

I got her out.

And my first question to him
was, how bad is she burned?

And he didn't give me an answer.

Of course, I didn't
stand around.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Hans claims

that it was only after Julie
was discovered that Donny took

credit for having pulled
her from the fire,

but that apparent discrepancy
was quickly overshadowed

by concern for Julie.

When I saw Julie,
I thought there

was no way she could live.

Her stomach was just
open, blown open.

And so I ran back
across the street,

and I just went from one
fireman to the other,

begging him to please
go in and find Jill.

Where's Jill?

And then I'd run back
across the street

to see how Julie was
doing, and each time I

went back across
the street I was

surprised she was still alive.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Emergency personnel

rushed Julie to the
hospital, believing

her stomach injury had
been caused by some kind

of fire-related explosion.

But in surgery, doctors made
an incredible discovery.

Julie's traumatic
wound had absolutely

nothing to do with the fire.

Julie Hansen had been shot
in the abdomen, virtually

at point blank range
with a 12-gauge shotgun.

Well, I about fell
off my chair then,

because that was the
first I'd known anything

about any shooting at all.

And I still couldn't
figure out why.

Who could have hated us
this much to make an attack

on our house like this?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The emerging facts

seemed too shocking to be true.

Unknown and unseen, someone had
apparently torched the Hansen

home and gunned down Julie.

Daylight brought still
more unbearable news.

Jill's body was
found in the ruins.

An autopsy would later
confirm that Jill had also

been wounded by shotgun fire.

Unable to flee, she had
perished in the flames.

Authorities recovered
three shotgun shells

and a second five gallon gas
can from the ashes, mounting

evidence of arson and murder.

Whoa.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The Hansens' warehouse

was untouched by the fire,
and investigators examined

every square inch for clues.

Hey, George.

Yeah?

Over here.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Shoved behind some boxes,

they found a 12-gauge shotgun.

Ballistic tests would later
prove it was a weapon used

to shoot Jill and Julie Hanson.

What do you make of that?

I don't know.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The entire Hansen property

was cordoned off and kept under
round-the-clock surveillance.

Two days after the fire,
in the early morning,

the officer on duty caught a
prowler outside the warehouse.

Hey!

What are you doing there?

This is my dad's place.

He works here.

What's your dad's name?

Hans Hansen.

You didn't see
the police there?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): It was
Hans's and Betty's son, Donny.

Watch the light.

You just stand right there.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Detective George

Gatto was called to the scene.

Donny told Gatto that he had
come to feed the family dog.

Caught him
looking in a window.

Looking in a window.

What were you looking at, son?

I just came out
to feed my dog.

COP: Tell us the truth, Donny.

GEORGE GATTO: He
knew the dog had

been taken to the neighbor's.

He knew the dog was
not there, and that's

when the figured that
the reason he was there,

he was there to get the shotgun.

Because he didn't know
we had found it yet.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The case

had taken an incredible turn.

Donny was about to become the
prime suspect in the murder

of his own sister.

Investigators soon uncovered
circumstantial evidence that

implicated Donny in the crime.

Three days before the
fire, Donny had borrowed

the shotgun from a
friend, and Donny

admitted keeping it in his car.

Unspent shells found
in the car matched

those used in the attack.

Donny had purchased
the ammunition

the very evening Jill
and Julie were shot.

This credit card statement
verified that two days

before the fire, Donny had
purchased five gallons of gas

at a local station.

Witnesses confirm
that the container

Donny filled was
identical to one

of those found at the scene.

There was only one person
who might be able to confirm

the growing suspicions--

Julie Hansen.

Approximately two
weeks after the fire,

she had recovered enough to tell
her parents what had happened.

I crawled out
of bed over Jill.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At first,

Julie's memories were sketchy.

She recalled being shot,
but not seeing anyone.

She said she crawled
over her sister

when she saw her sister
was still asleep in the bed

beside her and stepped
out of her bedroom door.

And bang, she saw a flash and
she thought a bomb went off.

And she said she reached
down and felt her belly.

It was like a bowl of jello.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): As Hans

and Betty asked more
questions, Julie

had a chilling recollection.

So did you see anything else?

Did you see anybody?

I saw Donny's
face in the flash.

HANS HANSEN (ACTOR): You saw
your brother Donny's face?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): However,

Julie's statement contradicted
what she told her doctor.

I never found out
why she said that she

saw Donny in the flash.

She definitely did
not tell me that.

She told me she saw
nobody specifically.

When I questioned her
about that situation,

I said, who did you see
or did you see anything?

She said, I saw nobody--

never mentioned seeing Donny.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On December 2, two weeks

after the fire, Donny Hansen
was met by his mother and sister

at the county courthouse.

He had come involuntarily
for further questioning.

Thanks for coming down.

What about the shells?

The shells, we were
out trap shooting,

and I picked some more
up because a storm

was on the way home.

Don't you think
it's kind of funny

that you bought the shells
right before the murder?

What about the gun?

Why did you try to hide the gun?

Look, I just got
scared, you know.

I panicked.

Tried to hide the
gun in the warehouse,

because I figured if they
found the gun in my car

they were just going to
assume that I did it.

I don't have a
right to assume that?

I'm having trouble
believing this whole story.

GEORGE GATTO: He kept
saying he was innocent.

He failed a polygraph twice.

And when I interviewed him, he
just kept denying everything,

and every time it was a
different story with him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
interrogation lasted two hours.

When Donny emerged, he was
in handcuffs, facing trial

on charges of arson and murder.

What's going on?

He's under arrest.

On what grounds?

I can't talk to you
about that right now.

George, we are trying
to cooperate with you.

BETTY HANSEN: That
was a pretty low point

in my life to see
my son arrested

for the murder of my daughter.

It was just unbelievable.

And I kept thinking, when
am I going to wake up?

When's this going to end?

I can't describe it.

There's just no words.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
nightmare was far from over.

On December 19,
Julie suddenly died

in a freak medical accident.

An air bubble had
entered her bloodstream

through an intravenous
tube and stopped her heart.

Julie's death was
another devastating blow

to her grieving parents.

It was also a crippling
setback to the prosecutors.

Julie's eyewitness
statements would now

be inadmissible as evidence, so
she could not be cross-examined

by defense attorneys.

When we return, Donny
Hansen tells his story.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In April of 1988,

Donny Hansen went on
trial for the murder

of his half-sisters
Jill and Julie.

The district attorney
was confident enough

to ask for the death penalty.

The defendant Donald Hansen
brought the gun that was

the murder weapon to the scene.

He brought the shotgun shells
that killed those two girls.

He hid the murder weapon, and he
lied about all of those things.

That was strong evidence.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
However, the defense

introduced eyewitness testimony
from the Hansens' neighbors

across the street.

They claimed to have
seen two unidentified men

near the trailer
while it was on fire.

Their sighting became
the cornerstone

of a defense theory
designed to show

that Donny Hanson was innocent.

There were a tremendous
number of unanswered facts

and occurrences that happened
that night that the prosecution

couldn't explain and which
were not consistent with Donny

having been involved.

I was able to come up with at
least a suggested scenario that

tied all of the
unanswered, or the majority

of the unanswered, factual
questions together.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The defense

contended that
around 3:00 AM, two

intruders, identity
and motive unknown,

approached the Hansens' trailer.

WILLIAM BRAGG: The person had
found Donny's shotgun outside

and, for whatever reason,
decided to bring it inside

with some shells,
picked the lock,

came through the
sliding glass door.

They just spread the gasoline
around the living room area

at the front of the
trailer, the kitchen.

They certainly didn't
seem to care that people

were asleep in the trailer.

They went throughout the
trailer and spread the gasoline.

At some point during the
activities of the perpetrator,

Julie was awake.

And she comes down
the hallway and walks

in on the perpetrator, who
then, at that particular point,

apparently was to
the left of Donny

as he was lying on the couch
and somewhat behind him.

And he shoots her as she's
coming out the hallway.

And she goes down, and
that's what wakes Donny up.

Donny picks Julie up,
takes her out on the front

porch, deposits her there.

You OK?
You're up.

You stay there.

I'll find some help.

TERRY R FARMER: If some unnamed,
unknown masked intruders

are in your house killing people
and burning the place down

and you're standing right next
to them that they'd shoot you,

too, wouldn't you?

They didn't.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to the defense

theory, at least one
of the assailants

was still in the trailer after
Hans, Betty, and Donny escaped.

It was only then
that Jill was shot.

WILLIAM BRAGG: And
the perpetrator

then exited the trailer.

That person put the
gun back in the car,

threw it back in the
car as he running by.

And those persons ran to
their car and jumped in,

and off they went.

TERRY R FARMER: If you're
going to commit a murder,

don't you bring me
instruments to do that job?

Don't you bring
the gun if you're

going to burn down the house?

Don't you bring the gas?

How convenient for them
that both of these items

just happened to be
provided by Donald Hansen.

It makes no sense.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
However, the jury

believed it did
make sense, and they

found Donny Hansen not guilty.

BETTY HANSEN: When I
first heard the verdict,

my initial reaction was I
was really happy to think

that he didn't do it.

But when I thought
back to everything,

I knew that Donny's involved,
that Donny knew what happened.

And he knew what
went on that night,

and he has all the answers.

This has been a
real tragedy to us,

because we have lost
three of our four children

out of this, two
of them are dead.

And Donny's dead
to me, because I

do feel he is 100%
responsible for this,

whether he pulled it
off 100% himself or not.

If I know who
would have done this,

I would not have put my life on
the line through a jury trial,

through a death penalty case,
to cover up for someone that

killed my sisters that I love.

A statement like that
is absolutely ludicrous.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Because of the notoriety

surrounding the trial,
Donny has changed his name.

He asked that we alter
his voice and obscure

his face during this
exclusive interview.

You know, I realize
that nothing has been done

or has been done since
my acquittal to take

steps to solve this case.

I think the only way this
case will ever be solved

is if someone's
conscience gets to them.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Donny's account

is still the subject of debate.

Although his attorney
claimed Donny

was awakened by
the shotgun blast,

Donny now says he
never heard the shot.

No one that was in
that trailer that night

heard any blast, so I don't
know how I didn't hear it.

I don't know how any of us
didn't hear it as a group.

But we're all fairly consistent,
and none of us heard anything.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Another nagging question

is why Donny removed
the shotgun from his car

before anyone knew that his
shotgun had been involved

or even that a crime
had been committed.

I don't really know why I
moved it, other than I didn't

want someone steal it, someone
find the gun, and blame,

think I did this if it
was used in the commission

of this crime.

At that time, I didn't
know if it had been or not.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A third incident was

also difficult to reconcile--

Donny's 5:00 AM visit to the
warehouse and the explanation

he gave police.

DONNY HANSEN: It was
one of those things,

the old story where one
lie leads into another.

And they just
started rolling in.

And I said, well, I was
coming in to check on my dog.

Which I wasn't really
checking on the dog.

I was going back to
get the gun, and that's

the story that I told them.

But I think that I reacted with
a vigorous amount of stupidity,

and that's what
got me in trouble.

I just came out
to feed my dog.

COP: Tell us the truth.

The accusations that I
know what went on that night

are absolutely
ludicrous, because I

had absolutely everything
to lose and nothing to gain.

And the fact that
they let someone

get away with what they did
to Jill and Julie tears me up.

It decimates my life,
I guess you could say.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
whole truth about this hideous

crime may never be known.

A jury has acquitted
Donny Hansen,

but his mother and
stepfather have not.

HANS HANSEN: I
believe the insurance

policy was part of the motive.

The insurance was on me.

I mean, Donny came home that
night to wipe our family out.

He brought the gun with him.

He had the gasoline that he
had bought two nights previous,

and I believe the
motive was money.

Whether he was by himself
or not, I don't know.

BETTY HANSEN: You go on,
but life is never the same.

And you can build a new
house or buy a new car,

but you can't bring
back the girls.

And all we have
left is memories.

And it's really rough.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Jill and Julie

Hansen were 15 years old when
these home movies were taken.

The parents have never
gotten over the brutal crime

that tore their family apart.

When we return, will
aging love letters

lead to a long lost father?

Perhaps, with your help.

It was the summer of 1955.

Maria Hoffman, a 20-year-old
exchange student from Germany,

found work at the Hotel Moraine,
an elegant lakeside resort

26 miles from Chicago.

Maria had just finished a year
of study in the United States

and needed money for
the passage home.

[speaking german]

I'm sorry.

I didn't see you.

Hey, wait a minute.

Are we both saying
the same thing?

Yes.

You surprised me so much,
I forgot my English.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The young man introduced

himself as Michael Seymour.

Like Maria, he was
in his early 20s.

Here, let me help you.

Thank you.

You're very kind.

I haven't seen
you here before.

Are you new?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The chance encounter

quickly blossomed
into a summer romance,

but it was a
relationship Maria would

keep secret for nearly 30
years, until the spring of 1983.

In the ensuing years, Maria
had returned to Germany,

married, become a mother
and a grandmother.

Her oldest son Christoph
was a Lieutenant

in the German Air Force.

During a weekend
visit with him, Maria

made a stunning confession.

Chris, there is something
I want to talk to you about.

What is it?

This is very difficult.
Chris, your father

is not your real father.

What?

The man who raised you
is not your real father.

Mama, are you serious?

Your real father
is a man I met when

I was in the United States.

Why haven't you
told me this sooner?

CHRISTOPH BAUER: When my
mother first told me this,

I felt a little bit anger about
her not telling me before.

I am your son.

I have a right to know.

CHRISTOPH BAUER: I made
the decision right there

that I need to find him, that
I need to find out what kind

of man he is, that I want to
see him and make my own decision

whether I like him or not
and whether I want to stay

in contact with him or not.

How did it happen?

It was the year after I
was in school in America.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Over the next hour,

Christoph learned more
about his biological father

and the long secret romance.

For Maria and Michael,
the attraction had

been instant and all-consuming.

Together, they spent
an enchanted summer.

CHRISTOPH BAUER: My mother told
me that he was from Canada,

that he was a very
gentle man and that she

fell in love with this man and
she had an affair with him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But the carefree love

affair was eventually clouded
by a very real concern.

Maria Hoffman was pregnant.

CHRISTOPH BAUER: She was very
worried about the future,

because she was in
a foreign country

with basically no fixed income.

And her friend, the man
she was in love with,

obviously didn't have a
very high income job either.

So they would have
had to struggle a lot.

I also know that
they were in love

and that she wanted
to be with him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In October of 1955,

Maria made an
agonizing decision.

She would return to
Germany to have her baby

without Michael Seymour.

CHRISTOPH BAUER: They
separated, not in anger.

They separated in good
face and planned on getting

together again later on.

I don't know
what to say, Maria.

Neither do I. It's
all so confusing.

I know that I'll miss you.

CHRISTOPH BAUER: It wasn't
an easy way for her,

but it was the best
way because she

could go to the security of her
family and had all the support

that she needed.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Maria would never

again see Michael Seymour.

Christoph was born in
Germany on May 22, 1956.

The following
year, Maria married

a college professor,
a man Christoph would

come to know as his father.

Christoph, sit down.

There is something
I have for you

I have been saving
all these years.

These are letters
from your father.

I hope that they will help
you to understand or at least

to have more information.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
all, there were four letters,

the last written in 1958.

Included were two snapshots
of Michael Seymour.

Christoph Bauer at
the age of 27 suddenly

found himself staring into
the face of his birth father.

Christoph immediately followed
up the few clues he had.

He wrote to the four
different return addresses

on the envelopes.

He got no response.

Government agencies both in
Canada and the United States

had no records of Seymour,
and the Hotel Moraine

where Christoph's mother
and Seymour had met

had long ago burned
to the ground.

But there was one ray of hope.

A cousin of Maria's
who lived in Chicago

said that Michael
Seymour had periodically

phoned her after Maria
returned to Germany.

Have you heard from Maria?

Do you know how
she's been doing?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
To Christoph's amazement,

Michael Seymour's
occasional calls had

continued for nearly 20 years.

And Chris-- how's he doing?

CHRISTOPH BAUER: When I learned
that he had checked on me

and that he still
was interested in me,

I felt supported in my
decision to find him.

1976, this relative
moved, and that

was the end of the contact.

These are letters.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): One year

after her dramatic
confession, Maria Bauer died.

She was 49 years old.

The aging letters
she left to Christoph

paint a bittersweet
picture of youthful love.

VOICEOVER: "I feel
any child of yours

would be somebody worthwhile.

I'm happy to be joined to you
through it, one way or another,

even if by now or in
time to come that is all

we have between us.

I also want some kind
of closer relationship

with our son Christopher.

"I think he is the cutest
thing I've ever seen.

I received your last letter
with the two pictures of him

on the bicycle
and with yourself.

I really treasure them."

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Today,
Christoph Bauer is a captain

in the German Air Force.

Since 1991, he has lived
with his family in the United

States, where he is
training helicopter

pilots for the US Army.

Christoph and his family will be
returning to Germany next year.

Perhaps Michael Seymour can
be found before they leave,

so he can meet his son
and three grandchildren

for the first time.

Recently, Christoph
was surprised to learn

that the name Michael
Seymour is an alias.

Seymour's real name is Walter
Joseph Anthony Seymour.

He was born October
4, 1930, in Pembroke,

Ontario, Canada and lived
in Evanston, Illinois,

until at least 1970.

On our next "Unsolved
Mysteries," a harrowing tale

of three young men who
escaped from an Oklahoma jail

and took to the road, armed
with a truckload of weapons.

After a wild 150-mile
chase, state troopers

cornered the fugitives but one
of them managed to slip away.

The Mona Lisa, one of Leonardo
da Vinci's greatest works.

The identity of the
model is a mystery

that has intrigued and baffled
historians for 500 years.

Now, an unorthodox new theory
has sparked a heated debate.

Could the model have
been Leonardo himself?

Join me next time
for another edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."