All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S02E08.480p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-PLAYREADY_track3_[und]

[music playing]

ANNOUNCER: 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.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Tonight

on "Unsolved
Mysteries," in 1962,

Sonny Liston defeated
Floyd Patterson

to become the Heavyweight
Boxing Champion of the World.

Nine years later, he was
dead from what police

claim was an overdose of drugs.

Sonny's family and friends
believe he was murdered.

In Texas, 21-year-old
Elizabeth Campbell

stalked off into the night after
an argument with her boyfriend.

She vanished, and some believe
she's being held hostage

by a mysterious abductor.

Sharon Stevens' childhood
was a succession of unhappy

foster homes, then she
met a couple who literally

changed her life, teaching her
the true meaning of the word

love.

Today, Sharon wants to find
this couple and say thank you.

Also tonight, the story of
how "Unsolved Mysteries" helped

to bring a family together.

Last month, we
profiled six Oklahoma

children who were tragically
separated back in 1960.

Thanks to our broadcast, they
all met for the first time

in more than 29 years.

Join me tonight
for their touching

and heart warming reunion.

SPORTS ANNOUNCER: Patterson
is a proud champion.

Liston, you will note,
has a good left hand.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
September 25, 1962.

The title bout for the
Heavyweight Boxing Championship

of the World.

The current title
holder, Floyd Patterson,

battles a 30-year-old
former convict

named Charles Sonny Liston.

SPORTS ANNOUNCER:
liston with a left!

A short right to the body!

A left hook!

And Patterson is down!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
two minutes and six seconds,

Patterson is knocked out.

Sonny Liston is the
new world champion.

SPORTS ANNOUNCER: Sonny Liston
knocks out Floyd Patterson

in one round to become the
21st heavyweight champion

of the world.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Nine years later, Las Vegas,

Nevada, January the 5th, 1971.

Liston's wife, Geraldine,
arrived back at their home

from a trip out of town.

She was worried that
she had not been

able to talk to her
husband for several days.

Hello?

I'm home, honey.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): As
she walked toward their bedroom,

she saw Sonny lying on the bed.

Honey.
Hello?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Sonny Liston

was dead from what
officials claim was

an accidental drug overdose.

But his family and friends
believe the official verdict

may be wrong.

No, he never used drugs.

He used to drink every night,
but Sonny never used no drugs.

If he did, I didn't know
anything about the drugs,

and I'm sure I know a
dope head when I see one.

And Sonny never used drugs.

I am sure in Mr Liston's--

I am sure in Mr. Liston's
life he had enemies.

And I somehow believe
one of them killed him,

or several of them killed him.

And I don't think one
man could have done it.

I'm sure it took several.

The rise and fall
of Sonny Liston

reflects the brutal and
occasionally corrupt

boxing world that he
dominated in the early 1960s.

And the circumstances
of his death

have never been
satisfactorily explained.

In fact, there's
compelling evidence

that Sonny Liston was murdered,
a victor who became a victim.

His story began with a
lonely bus ride in 1944.

One of 25 children
of a sharecropper

in Arkansas, Sonny
Liston endured

frequent beatings as a child.

At the age of 12, after selling
a bag of pecans for bus fare,

Sonny left for St. Louis
and a better future.

But once he arrived, Liston's
life would take a violent turn.

A path that would
eventually lead to prison.

Most of his prison records
were of strong arming.

[inaudible] would turn to the
streets and strong arm people

to get money to make a living.

After all, he come
from a big family,

so somebody had to support him.

So he done what he had
to do to make a living.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In 1950, Liston

received two concurrent
five-year terms

for the armed robbery
of a gas station.

While in prison,
Liston channeled

his considerable
strength into boxing.

After 29 months, he was paroled.

In 1953, Sonny
went professional,

winning 32 of his first
33 bouts, 22 by knockouts.

Sonny was the type of fighter,
when he got in the ring,

he was mean, he come
to fight, and he

had only one thing in
mind when he went out,

and that was to win.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
By 1962, Sonny

was ready to make a
successful bid for Floyd

Patterson's heavyweight title.

He was one of the
toughest, the most

durable fighters of all time.

You couldn't knock
him off his feet.

It was awesome.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): After
his victory over Patterson,

Sonny was champion
for 17 months,

until he met a young man
named Cassius Clay, who would

one day become Muhammad Ali.

SPORTS ANNOUNCER: Liston
can't catch the elusive

Clay all through this fight.

Cassius--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Ali's superior agility simply

overwhelmed the champion.

After six rounds,
Liston gave up.

Muhammad Ali won the title.

SPORTS ANNOUNCER: --in the
history of heavyweight boxing.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
During Ali's reign as champion,

Liston stayed in Las Vegas.

Rumors circulated that
Liston was drinking heavily.

During this time, he
befriended a boxing

referee named Davey Pearl.

JOHNNY TOCCO: Sonny was a
very hard man to get to know.

He was quiet, and
he was a loner.

He was very rarely with
anybody, because he

didn't trust very many people,
and I didn't blame him.

Sonny was really on the
downside with his career.

And people beat him out of
millions of dollars, you know,

phony managers.

And They had this going.

Invest your money with this.

And that happens to fighters
that strike it rich.

And he was such a nice guy.

And it was a shame that most
people didn't realize how nice

a guy he really was.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In 1967,

Ali was stripped of his title
after he refused to be drafted.

Liston decided to resume
training for his boxing career.

Once back in the ring, Sonny
won 14 consecutive bouts.

Davey Pearl became
his unofficial manager

and signed Liston to fight an
up and coming young heavyweight

from New Jersey, Chuck Wepner.

The two men both had eyes on
Ali's vacant heavyweight title.

Day after day,
Liston and prepared

to meet and beat Wepner.

I wanted Sonny
to win that fight,

and Sonny wanted
to win the fight.

Because had he won
the fight, he would

have gotten a big money fight.

There

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Were rumors

that some gamblers were betting
heavily on Liston to lose.

Johnny Tocco believes that two
days before the fight, Liston

had a meeting with
two of these gamblers.

JOHNNY TOCCO: [inaudible]
asked over and seen

these two black gentlemen.

And he's like, go over and
sit down a while in the lobby.

He said, I'll be
over in a little bit.

You sure you're
going to be all right?

Don't worry about it.
It'll be all right.

So how are you doing, man?

I believe that Sonny was
approached to drop the fight.

He had to be approached, because
the talk that was around,

it seemed to me like they
wanted a Chuck Wepner win.

And the only way they
can do that, Sonny

would have to be involved.

SPORTS ANNOUNCER:
Welcome to the US Armory.

This is the main event--

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): June 29,

1970, Jersey City, New Jersey.

Sonny Liston was ready
to take his first step

on the road back to the top.

Only local favorite Chuck
Wepner blocked his way.

SPORTS ANNOUNCER:
--Sonny Liston!

I said, Sonny,
everything's OK.

Go to work on the guy.

Well, fifth or sixth
round, Sonny told me--

and it's the first time in
my life that I ever thought

I would hear this from him--

he says, I'm afraid to
hit this guy anymore.

He had hit him so many
times in the face.

[bell]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
By the ninth round,

Liston had beaten Wepner
so severely that the fight

was finally stopped.

Wepner needed 54 stitches
in his face alone.

Sonny Liston had taken
that first important step

towards regaining
his former title,

but that step may have
endangered his life.

January 5th 1971, just six
months after the Wepner fight,

Liston's body was
discovered by his wife.

Police were summoned
to the scene.

In Liston's kitchen,
in plain view,

investigators found three
small bags of heroin

on top of the kitchen counter.

A small amount of
marijuana was also

discovered in Sonny's
pocket, and a syringe

was found near his body.

OFFICER: Take him on
down to the morgue.

My opinion, it was two things.

It was either natural or
self-induced drug overdose.

And the only reason
I dwell on the drug

is simply because there was
this found in the kitchen.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
An autopsy discovered needle

marks on Liston's right
arm, and the official report

stated that Liston had
died of a cardiac arrest

after injecting
himself with heroin.

But surprisingly, only small
traces of heroin byproducts

were found in his body.

There was some trace
of morphine and codeine

found in the kidney tissue.

But the level of drugs
in his own tissues

did not indicate that it was
an overdose type of drug death.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Just one month

before, Liston had been
briefly hospitalized

after a car accident.

He received intravenous
medicine in his right arm,

and Davey Pearl
believes that that

is where the telltale
needle mark came from.

Hey, Sonny.

How are you doing, my man?

Fine, fine.

What happened to you?

Oh, I bumped a car.

You bumped a car?

Man, I hate these
needles, Dave.

He hated needles
with a passion.

A few times, you know, he'd
start to get a runny nose

or something like that, a
little cold, and I'd say,

come on, Sonny.

I'll take you to the doctor.

He wouldn't go to the doctor.

Mr. Liston would not go for
common shots for colds and flu

because he hated the
needle to that extent,

that he would make a fuss
when it was necessary to go.

I think Mr. Liston was killed.

He was a strong, healthy man.

He was not depressed.

He was not prone to
suicide, certainly.

I think Sonny
Liston was murdered.

I think that somebody promised
him some sort of a deal.

At that time, Sonny
had no income.

And a lot of fellas,
you know, propositioned

for different business deals.

He was hanging around
with the wrong crowd.

And I told Sonny, I said,
keep away from these people.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But
if Liston was on someone's hit

list, how was this
murder carried

out with no signs of violence?

Some believe that he
was slipped a drug drink

and then taken home.

Once there, Liston was
given the fatal shot.

But if this theory is true,
why were such minute traces

of chemicals found in his body?

Even if he had
committed suicide,

why would he have
injected himself with such

a small amount of heroin?

To this day, Liston's death
remains shrouded in mystery.

So what actually
happened, you know,

I often wonder, but I don't--

I don't know.

He did come from nowhere
to get where he was.

And I'd like the world to know
that he was a good husband.

He was a good man.

That's the way I'd like
the world to remember him.

for The past 20 years,
Sonny Liston's accomplishments

have been tarnished by the
circumstances of his death.

Was his death caused by an
accidental drug overdose,

or was Sonny Liston
murdered because he wouldn't

lose when he was told to?

Sonny Liston's family
and friends demand

an answer to these questions.

In October, we presented
the touching story

of a family from
Locust Grove, Oklahoma,

that was torn apart by
poverty and an abusive father.

In the spring of 1960,
an Oklahoma court

determined that Top
Rogers and his wife Edith

were unfit parents.

Their five sons and
daughter were taken away

and subsequently
adopted into six

different homes, where they grew
up isolated from one another.

In February of 1984, two of
the Rogers children, Celia

Wangler and John
Rieger were reunited

after 26 years of separation.

How are you?

OK.

How are you?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Within several weeks,

John and Celia managed to find
two more of their brothers,

Vernon and Robert.

Well, when they
told me I would

never see my brothers and sister
again, I know better than that.

Because I knew I loved them,
and they was my family,

and I was going to find them.

And that never left
my mind for 26 years.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For the last five years,

Celia, John, and
Robert have searched

for their two other missing
brothers, Joey and Billy.

A happy ending
to this story to me

is when I get a phone call
from my other brothers.

That-- that would be the
truly happy ending, to have

found them.

Thanks to our
broadcast, John Rieger's

dream of a happy ending
became a reality.

The morning after
the story aired,

John contacted his brothers Joey
and Billy for the first time

in almost 30 years.

The Rogers children
immediately made

arrangements for a reunion.

Joey was five, and
Billy just a year

old, when the family
was separated.

The morning of October
27, 34-year-old Joey,

whose adopted name is Rusty
Dunavant, arrived at his sister

Celia's home in Oklahoma City.

- Good seeing you.
- [inaudible]

Hi.

Been waiting a
long time, buddy.

- Oh, yeah.
- It's been a long time.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Rusty lives only

36 miles from his brother John.

Amazingly, they
have mutual friends

and have even met socially
on a number of occasions.

We've brushed
shoulders several times.

We've been to several places
we were within speaking

distance of each other.

And I've seen him
eye-to-eye, and I never would

have known he is my brother.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Later that day, the youngest

of the Rogers children, Billy,
whose name is now Chuck Young,

arrived at the airport and
was greeted by his brothers

and sister.

How are you doing?

How are you?

I'm all right.

[laughs]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Chuck, who lives in Tennessee,

watched our broadcast
and was shocked

when he realized that he was
one of the missing brothers.

At the end of
the show, they put

the family picture together.

Well, I seen me sitting there.

And I just got up out of the
chair, and I said, that's me.

That's me.

You know?

They're looking for me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For the Rogers family,

this reunion marks the
beginning of a new chapter

in their lives.

I think what we
were all looking

for was the part of our hearts
that was torn out years ago.

And now, you know, I don't--

I don't hurt anymore,
because that part of my heart

has been replaced.

It's back again,
and it feels good.

[laughs]

This is a toast to us.

And I want you all to
know I love all of you.

We love you.

I love you all too.

I'm glad to be here today.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
It was Christmas morning

in Torrance, California.

The year was 1957.

Sharon Stevens, her parents
and brothers and sisters,

were celebrating
around the tree.

Sharon's real mother had
died in an auto accident

when Sharon was
three months old,

and she had drawn
closer to her father.

Oh, you shouldn't have.

A buckle.

SHARON: Do you like it?

Do I like it?

I love it.

This is great.

I'm glad.

FATHER: Give me a hug, babe.

I love you, Dad.

This is great.

It's going to look
nice, isn't it?

SHARON (VOICEOVER):
The buckle was silver,

and it was very pretty.

It It gives me goosebumps
when I think about it.

About getting beat
a lot with it.

Don't you lie to me, girl.

[smack]

SHARON (VOICEOVER): I still
think about it now and then,

and I get very upset
when I think about it.

I remember it cutting
me quite a few times,

because the way the
size of the buckle was,

it used to cut my skin.

Dad, please!

Sharon, I told you not to run!

SHARON (VOICEOVER):
I've been slashed

in the face, in the legs,
in the arms, all over.

Once he started, it seemed
like he couldn't finish.

Like he'd get outrageous
with it and just keep going.

I guess until he get exhausted.

It wasn't a pretty
buckle anymore.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The abuse

at the hands of her father
continued for a year,

until 1959, when she
was taken to live

with new foster parents.

In a childhood marked by
beatings and loneliness,

there are few
memories that Sharon

cares to recall, save one.

A couple named Bill
and Cynthia Zelinski

took her into their home.

And for a few months,
Sharon discovered

what it was like to live
with a loving family.

They taught her how to
trust, how to communicate,

and how to love.

Today, Sharon wants to find
this couple and show them

how an emotionally
devastated young girl

has grown up into a
caring, responsible adult.

This is Sharon's story.

MAN: What is your problem?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At her foster home,

Sharon was angry and rebellious.

She fought regularly
with her new parents.

[inaudible]
you're just trouble.

You're nothing but
problems and trouble!

What does it matter to you?

If you care so much, why don't
you just have your own kids?

Leave me alone!

Can't you cooperate?

Can't you try to go
with us on these things?

Just leave me alone, OK?

I can take care of myself!

Can't you listen?

Can't you obey?

No!

What do we do?

They just couldn't handle me.

I had a chip on my shoulder
because of everything

that happened in the past.

And I just felt that the
world wasn't there for me.

You know, the world hated me,
and so I'm going to be hard.

You know, I was very
hard and very cold.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
One afternoon.

Sharon came home from school to
find her social worker waiting.

She had been kicked
out of her foster home.

It was time to move on again.

I was very upset
because of the transition

I had to make again, and
I was just a little girl.

And I knew no one.

I had to make new friends
and go to new schools,

and I didn't know how the
new foster parents were going

to be, if they were
going to be, you know,

be abusive in any way,
that I was already used to.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Sharon was

sent to the Gardena,
California home

of Bill and Cynthia Zelinski.

At first she treated her
new parents as adversaries.

Sharon had grown
cynical, tough, and felt

that she was only a pawn in
a system that didn't care.

But as time passed, she
noticed that the Zelinskis

were different.

I know, but it's 9
o'clock, and it's bed time.

I don't want to go to sleep.

I'm not tired.

You've had a big
day, and I know it's--

You can just go to bed.

I can take care of myself.

No, no, no.

At this home--

What's the problem?

Well, someone here just
doesn't want to go to bed.

And we have rules here.

At my other
houses, they didn't

care what time we went to bed.

Oh, the other houses.

Tell me about the other houses.

They knew how to parent.

They really knew how to parent.

They were childless, and I don't
understand how they got all

the patience they
had, but they hung

in there with patience with me.

And instead of just giving up
and throwing up their hands

and saying, forget it,
she's a lost cause,

they knew that I was probably
young enough to change,

and they knew that there
was a good little girl

under all that skin somewhere.

You know, I had a
good heart somewhere.

And they're going to bring
the goodness out of me.

And they did.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Life with the Zelinskis was

like something out of a dream.

They cared about
her, believed in her.

Every day, when Sharon came
home from school for lunch,

Cynthia Zelinski was there.

She would tutor
Sharon with flashcards

in an attempt to
improve her grades.

- 32?
- That's right.

- I got it right?
- Yes, you did.

32.

She forced me to do
it, and after a while,

I started liking it, and I
went from an F to an A student.

And then I really liked it.

Now, the purpose of the
dance bar is for balance.

All right?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): At
the urging of the Zelinskis,

Sharon fulfilled
a childhood dream

and began to take
ballet lessons.

They built her a dance bar
and then praised her efforts.

SHARON (VOICEOVER):
And they went all out,

you know, to make me happy.

Especially when he put up a bar.

You know, my own bar.

She even did the
ballet steps with me.

And it showed me
that they really

loved and cared for
me enough to you

know, introduce me to
this type of thing.

Sharon, I want you
meet somebody special.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): They
bought me this dancing doll,

and there was a lot of
love and care behind it.

She's always the
perfect dance partner.

If you don't have
anybody to dance with,

or somebody you need to
talk to, here she is.

Why don't you try her out?

She's beautiful.

I love her.

[singing "happy birthday"]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Perhaps the high point

of her childhood
was a birthday party

at a neighbor of the Zelinskis.

In honor of the
occasion, Cynthia

had bought her a party dress.

And at first, I was a
little skeptical of going.

And Mrs. Zelinski went with me,
you know, and I thought, OK.

And so she gave me the present.

You know, she wrapped
it all up, and I

took it to the birthday party.

And I think my present was
one of the best ones there.

And it made me feel
proud that she went out

of her way to, you know,
make everything work out

and to make me happy.

I felt very special for
one of the first times

in my whole life.

So I started to change in
the right, respectful way.

They taught me respect.

They taught me how
to, you know, respect

other people and myself, and
they brought my self-esteem up.

And because I had a very low
self-esteem about myself.

They really changed me.

I never wanted to leave,
but I had to one day.

Don't make me leave, please.

She has to go.

She got a new [inaudible].

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Just
one year after she arrived,

Sharon's dream came to an end.

Her father had remarried, and
the court ordered that Sharon

be returned to his custody.

Come on.

Don't give me a hard time.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): I remember
hugging Mrs. Zelinski goodbye,

and I had no choice.

And it was very, very scary.

I felt so safe at the Zelinskis,
and loved it at the Zelinskis,

and that's what I wanted,
and that's what I needed.

And that was no more.

So I went back with my
dad and my new stepmother

and six of her kids, and
none of us got along.

I just didn't feel safe anymore.

I didn't feel loved anymore.

I was very homesick
all the time for them.

A lot of times, I would
pick up the dancing doll

and remember the good
times that I was dancing

at the Zelinski's with it.

And I cried dancing
with the doll,

but it made me
feel a little safe,

and I did have at least
one memory of them,

you know, present with me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Not long after Sharon's

return, she came home from a
friend's to find her brother

waiting.

What are you doing outside?

Dad's inside, and
he's got his belt off.

And he wants you to get inside.

What did I do?

BROTHER: You're late.

But I'm not late.

I told him I'd be
home at this time.

All I know is that he
wants you to get inside.

Hello?

Mrs. Zelinski?

This Sharon Stevens.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The Zelinskis immediately

sent a cab to pick her up.

Sharon, are you OK?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Sharon
was comforted by the Zelinskis,

and in their company, she
finally felt she was safe.

Are you OK?

Well, I said I didn't
feel loved there,

and I wanted to come home.
And she said, OK.

You're home now.

And so we talked
a couple of hours,

and I asked her
not to tell my dad,

and she said she wouldn't,
and I went to bed.

And I was back in the
same bedroom I slept in,

and it felt good.
It did.

It felt so good.

It felt so safe again.

You know, and I thought, good.

I'm back home.

I'm not ever leaving again.

SHARON'S FATHER: Look, there's
nothing to be concerned about.

She's my daughter.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A
few hours later, Sharon awoke

to hear her father's voice.

SHARON (VOICEOVER):
My first thought

was I was very upset with
the Zelinskis for calling.

I thought, you know,
I felt betrayed.

And I thought, why would
they do this to me?

And I slept by a window, and
my second thought was to go

out that window and run again.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The Zelinskis

assured Sharon that her father
had promised not to hurt her.

Reluctantly, she
left her sanctuary.

But when she arrived
home, she knew her worst

fear was about to come true.

Sharon, get out of there!

My dad first just
said, go to bed.

Get your pajamas
on and go to bed.

And I thought, no, it's
not going to end here.

I know my dad too well.

So I went in my dresser
drawer, I put on four

or five pair of pedal pushers--

which they were called back
then-- and a bunch of blouses,

and I put my pajamas
over it, padding myself,

knowing something
was going to happen.

And so I got into bed.

I put the covers way
up on me, and sure

enough, about ten minutes later,
my dad came in with his belt

off.

Then he just started
swinging, and I mean,

I was flying all over that bed.

When he left the room,
he said, stay in bed.

I was just shaking,
because it hurt so bad.

Through all those
clothes, he had cut me.

All of them.

And he walked back in, and I was
sitting on the side of the bed,

and he screamed at me and
said, I told you not to get up.

And he still had the
belt in his hand,

and he slapped me
right across the face.

And I mean, just zipped me.

Just blood.

And with that belt buckle.

And I thought, my god,
what did I do wrong?

You know, I didn't
do anything wrong.

And then he left the room,
and a couple of days later,

school started, and he was
arrested for child abuse.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): After
school authorities contacted

the police, Sharon was placed
in three more foster homes,

but not the Zelinskis.

Sharon still has no idea why.

When she was 16, she gave
birth to her first child.

When she was 18,
her second baby was

killed by an abusive relative.

But in 1974, Sharon's life
began to change for the better

when she met her husband, Dean.

Today she is living near
her married daughter

and has a six-year-old son.

I want to go high-high.

You want to go high-high?
OK.

You're going to go high-high.

There you go.

It's not easy to be
a parent, but it's easy

when you have the right tools.

I know I would have
turned out differently.

And a lot of it is
because of the Zelinskis.

I know if it hadn't
been for them,

I probably would
have been a child

abuser, a drug
addict, a prostitute,

a very active alcoholic.

I feel I would have
turned out very

bad if it hadn't been for them.

You had the freedom in
your other homes, and--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Sharon's search

for the Zelinskis will continue
until she finds the couple

that literally saved her life.

--probably don't think
much of us yet, but we

think a lot of you already.

I would like to be
reunited with the Zelinskis

to tell them how much I
appreciate what they've

done for me in the past.

And it's a dream, a hope, a
fantasy, whatever you want

to call it, but I've got
to find these people,

and I've got to say thank you.

For 13 years, Sharon
tried to find the Zelinskis,

but was unable to locate them.

Then, just minutes
after her story aired,

Sharon's search came to an end.

Bill and Cynthia Zelinski
were watching our broadcast

and called our telecenter.

We immediately put Sharon in
contact with Bill and Cynthia,

and they made arrangements
for a reunion.

On November 25, Sharon
arrived at the Zelinski home

in Laguna Niguel,
California, and met

Bill and Cynthia for the
first time in almost 30 years.

Hi.

Sharon!

Hi.

Oh, Sharon!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Bill and Cynthia,

who are now retired,
were shocked

when they saw Sharon's story.

Oh, nice to see you.

[inaudible]

When you see your--
your own life, you know,

part of your life
history unfolding

on national television,
your mind goes blank.

You don't hear anything
else that's going on,

but your mind goes back to 30
years ago and all the memories

that it brings back.

[laughter]

I was very optimistic
that someone out there,

their friends, relatives,
neighbors, someone,

if not themselves, would see it.

And I was very surprised that
they themselves called in.

And I just got goosebumps
when I found out.

Yeah.

I still get goosebumps.

OK, everybody smile and
give me a pretty pose.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For Sharon, the reunion

with the Zelinskis was
a long-awaited chance

to say thank you for the
inspiration and courage

they gave her as a young girl.

Making a difference in
somebody's life is nice.

That's the only
way to describe it.

You feel like there was a
reason for what happened.

At the time you don't know
it, but now you realize there

was a reason for what happened.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): It's the
only dream that I've ever had,

is to find the Zelinskis.

And it feels great.

And it's like a dream come true.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Next, the story of a girl

missing for almost two years.

Eyewitnesses have
seen her accompanied

by a strange man who
experts believe may have

forced her into prostitution.

10: 00 PM, April 25, 1988.

21-year-old college
student Elizabeth Campbell

got into an argument
with her boyfriend Rickie

and angrily walked
out of his home

in Killeen, Texas, near Austin.

45 minutes later,
Elizabeth called Rickie

from a pay phone 11 miles away.

RICKIE (ON PHONE):
Hello, Rickie speaking.

Hi, it's me, Elizabeth.

RICKIE (ON PHONE):
Where are you?

I'm at a store
in Copper's Cove.

RICKIE (ON PHONE):
How did you get there?

I got a ride.

I'm a little scared.

Just come pick me up.

RICKIE (ON PHONE):
Why did you leave?

Just come pick me up.

Elizabeth called me
from the convenience store

and wanted me to
come pick her up.

We got in kind of a
little disagreement

there, because I was
asking her why she left

my house without telling me.

And that kind of
frustrated me a little bit.

I didn't understand,
really, why she

would do something like this,
because it's not like her.

look, never mind.

I'll call my parents.

Don't worry about it.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): That night,

Elizabeth Campbell disappeared.

Her friends and family have not
seen or heard from her since.

The daughter of a marine
engineer and his Korean wife,

Elizabeth lived at home but was
looking forward to attending

Texas A&M in the fall.

This was to be an important
step for Elizabeth,

for she had led a
quiet, sheltered life

and had always stayed
very close to her family.

As soon as we knew
she was missing,

we knew something had happened
to her, because it's too much

out of character for her
to not tell her mother

where she was when
she wasn't at home.

I need you to fill out a
call card for me, please.

If you could put your
name and your phone number

and your address here for me.

In a case such as
Elizabeth Campbell's, where

we have a responsible young lady
that for no apparent reason has

just disappeared, one
of the theories is--

and it's very possible--

that Elizabeth is dead.

Excuse me.

Have either of you
seen this girl around?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Elizabeth's parents

refused to believe that
their daughter was dead.

They launched their
own investigation,

distributing thousands of
flyers throughout central Texas.

Their determined
efforts soon paid off.

Only six days after she
was reported missing,

a girl matching
Elizabeth's description

was spotted by a convenience
store clerk near Waco, Texas,

about 85 miles from
where she disappeared.

This car drove up
to the fuel tank,

and a man got out of the car and
took a young woman by the arm

and brought her into
the store with him,

holding on to her arm.

It wasn't as if it was a
boyfriend-girlfriend type hold.

His hand was above her wrist.

How are you there?
How's everything?

ROGER ANYON: He came
up to the counter

and pushed a $20 bill
out with one hand,

off of a row of money.

And I said, is there anything
else I could get you?

And he just shook his head.

The girl looked up at me, and
I said, yes, could I help you?

Let's go.

He said something
to her in a language

that I didn't understand.

And she dropped her head.

Looked down, as if she was
being punished or something,

you know, for trying
to say something.

She just put her face down,
and that was the end of that.

Her mother came into the
store a couple weeks later,

asking could she put up
this poster in the window

about a missing girl.

And [snaps] it hit
me, just like that.

I've seen that girl.

And she showed me another
picture, a photograph,

and I said, that's the
girl I saw with another man

in the store a
couple of weeks ago.

Hi.

Have you seen that girl?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
Coppers Cove, Texas, two miles

from where her
daughter disappeared,

Elizabeth's mother
discovered someone else who

claimed to have
seen Elizabeth just

two weeks after she vanished.

When Mrs. Campbell
came in, she

came up to the counter
with three pictures

and asked me if I had
seen her daughter.

And I had told her
yes, that I had,

about two weeks prior to that.

And she was with
an oriental man,

and that they came
in and got ice cream.

And the whole time
he brought her in,

he was holding her by the wrist.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Because this second sighting

matched the first in
nearly every detail,

the Campbells were positive
that in both cases,

the young woman was Elizabeth.

MICHELLE CHRISTENSEN:
What would you like?

I'd like to have
some strawberry--

The first thing that caught
my eye was his-- he had

a real mean, rough look to him.

He gave the attitude
that he didn't want her

to talk, just to stay silent.

And that's a weird
situation, because if someone

wants to talk, they usually
talk, but she didn't.

When I handed the
strawberry cone to him,

Elizabeth Campbell
looked up at me.

You look very sad today.

MICHELLE CHRISTENSEN: When I
said you look very sad today,

she immediately dropped
her eyes back down

and wouldn't look back up at me.

And vanilla for you?

MICHELLE CHRISTENSEN: Elizabeth
Campbell looked like she

was being pulled around.

She wasn't with him by choice.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Despite these two sightings,

local police are not convinced
that the young woman seen

with the Asian
man was Elizabeth.

But two months
later, on July 10,

another person claimed they saw
Elizabeth, this time at a gas

station in Garland,
Texas, 150 miles

from where she had vanished.

I just left my car, going
in to pay for the gas,

and I bumped into Elizabeth
coming out of the store.

Whoops.
Sorry.

You all right?
- I'm sorry.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

Elizabeth acted as if maybe
she was frightened of someone,

or maybe she was being
watched, or that she

was speaking to someone
that she shouldn't be.

And I felt like she was really
wanting to say more than,

you know, excuse me.

When I saw a photograph
of Elizabeth,

I automatically knew that
that was the girl that I

had bumped into in Garland.

Because she had a tooth that
overlapped on the right hand

side when she smiled at me.

I'm just positive that that
was Elizabeth Campbell.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Based on these three sightings,

Elizabeth's parents believe
that their daughter is alive

and is being held
against her will.

We believe that she's
being controlled by someone.

That she's no longer
able to think herself

or try to come home or call.

Have either of you
seen this girl around?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The Campbells

feel that Elizabeth
may have been abducted

and is being forced to walk
the streets as a prostitute.

Usually when someone abducts
another person for purposes

of prostitution, they
have a whole process

of where they strip
away their identity

and supply them with a new one.

Oftentimes it involves
being repetitively raped.

They may be beaten with whips.

They may be tied up.

They may be chained.

They're deprived of food.

They're deprived of light.

They're deprived of water.

Of whatever it takes in order
to strip away their identity

and to force them to
assume another one.

Hi.

Hi.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Dr. Lois Lee

is a sociologist and founder
of Children of the Night,

an organization that
rescues young people

from prostitution by
providing counseling

and helping them find shelter.

Over the past 10
years, she has worked

with thousands of
young boys and girls

who had been forced
into prostitution.

My guess, in a
situation as Elizabeth,

is that she's locked
up against her will,

and that the people are brought
in to sexually abuse her

or to take nude pictures
of her or to even film

her in acts of pornography.

It does not-- from the things
I've learned about this case,

it does not seem
to me that he would

actually put her on the
streets and let her work alone.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But
if the woman sighted in Garland

was Elizabeth, she was alone.

Why didn't she try to
escape or even ask for help?

LOIS LEE: The pimp creates an
invisible leash by presenting

himself as if he's omnipotent.

As if everybody works for him.

So no matter where you go,
no matter what you're doing,

I've got someone
who works for me

or a friend of
mine watching you.

So I don't think that she's
going to really try and escape,

because she knows what
the consequences are

if she does try to escape
and doesn't get away.

That's why she would never
make eye contact with anyone.

She's not allowed to make
eye contact with anyone.

And if she does, and she looks
like she's asking for help,

then she goes back to the
closet until she's learned.

Excuse me.

Have either of you
seen this girl around?

Why?

She's our daughter,
and she's missing.

You're like--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Although a year and a half

has passed since
Elizabeth's disappearance,

her parents refuse
to give up hope.

There's no way we can give up
until we find out where she is,

what's happened to her.

She's our daughter, not what
somebody's tried to make her.

She'll always be
our little girl.

Experts believe that with the
love and support of her friends

and family, Elizabeth will
be able to regain her pride

and her lost sense of identity.

There is currently a reward
for any information that leads

to Elizabeth returning home.

Today, Elizabeth Campbell
will be 22 years old.

She is 5 feet 2 inches tall,
weighs about 97 pounds,

and has long brown hair.

Her eyes are brown, and she
occasionally wears glasses.

Based on the two eye witness
descriptions of the man seen

with the young woman,
he appears to be

about 5 feet 7 inches
in height, age 25 to 30,

weight 160 pounds.

He has acne scars on
his face and seems

to have plucked his eyebrows.

In both sightings, he was
wearing a silver martial arts

medallion on a gold chain.

Next week on
"Unsolved Mysteries,"

Ralph Sigler was a
career army officer

with a wife, a loving
daughter, and a secret life.

For over 10 years, Sigler
was a double agent,

feeding the Soviet
KGB false information.

But in 1976, Sigler was found
dead in a Maryland hotel room.

The US government called
his death a suicide,

but Ralph's family
believes it was murder,

and they want to know
who was responsible.

Join me for another edition
of "Unsolved Mysteries."

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