All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S02E14.480p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-PLAYREADY_track3_[und]

NARRATOR: 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):
Nashville, Tennessee,

in 1989, a young journalist
covering the country music

scene was gunned down in
what seemed a shocking act

of random violence.

Some believe it
was a contract hit.

Ray Hickenbotham was an
Army intelligence expert,

whose top secret assignment
was breaking codes

from behind the Iron Curtain.

Suddenly, without
warning, he vanished.

Eastern Connecticut,
a lonely country road.

Last year, a young
woman driving to work

was harassed by a
mysterious assailant.

He then calmly and methodically
shot her in the face.

Also, the poignant
story of Patti English,

who was born partially deaf.

Patti's childhood was
a lonely and silent

world brightened only
by occasional visits

from her natural father.

Now Patti would like your
help in finding the father

she has not seen in 17 years.

Join me, perhaps you can
help solve them a mystery.

[theme music]

According to the Justice
Department, nearly half

of all violent crimes
in the United States

is committed by a
perfect stranger.

Our next story focuses on a
young woman whose peaceful life

was shattered forever
when she was caught

in a horrifying game
of cat and mouse

with an unknown assailant
on a lonely road.

Still haunted by
what happened, she's

asked to remain anonymous.

We will call her Carol.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Monday, August 22, 1988.

Carol drove to work along
Brayman Hollow Road,

a quiet, two-lane
highway that passes

through the rolling countryside
of eastern Connecticut.

Carol was employed
as a social worker

at a hospital in nearby Putnam,
where she counseled depressed

and mentally ill patients.

She had been using Brayman
Hollow Road as a shortcut

for more than a year.

This morning,
Carol found herself

running 30 minutes late.

CAROL: The road I took
that was my normal road

and the way that I
always go to work.

Sometimes, I think I was at the
wrong place at the wrong time.

You know, why me?

I didn't do anything wrong.

As I was driving,
I, all of a sudden,

came upon a black truck
that was in front of me.

It was driving very slow, so
I slowed up, right behind it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): As
Carol followed the pickup,

it began to behave
in a bizarre fashion,

speeding up and slowing
down, erratically,

crossing the center-line
as if out of control.

[squealing tires]

CAROL: [gasp]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Carol
began to sense that something

was clearly wrong.

[revving engine sounds]

CAROL (VOICEOVER): Shortly
after that, he stopped the truck

and parked.

I can see it all
happening in slow motion.

He just slid out of his truck.

Then I realized he
had a gun in his hand.

[gunshot]

[shattering glass]

[gunshots, breaking glass]

[tire squeal]

I can remember, seconds
after it happened,

that I was going to die.

I just felt or heard
a rushing in my ears.

RUDY CHEEKS (ON RADIO):
You're listening

to Carolyn Fox and Rudy
Cheeks, mostly Rudy Cheeks.

CAROL (VOICEOVER): And
then I heard the radio on.

RUDY CHEEKS (ON RADIO):
For this morning,

we'll say Rudy Cheeks
and Carolyn Fox, OK?

CAROLYN FOX (ON
RADIO): No, we won't.

We'll say--

CAROL (VOICEOVER): And I knew
that I wasn't going to die.

CAROLYN FOX (ON RADIO):
--breakfast here at 94 HJY.

CAROL (VOICEOVER): So my next
thought was, I'm paralyzed.

But I moved my feet and
kicked off my shoes.

It was like it was in a
dream, that it wasn't really

happening the way it was.

CAROLYN FOX (ON RADIO):
--looking at the front page

of the "Journal" right now.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Carol was semi-conscious.

She could hear the few
cars that passed by but was

unable to signal for help.

Because she was slumped
across the front seat,

she was out of the view
of the other drivers.

A few minutes elapsed before
a utility serviceman drove by.

From his elevated cab, he was
able to see into Carol's car.

The man immediately
summoned medical assistance.

Detectives also
arrived within minutes.

Carol was near death.

She had already lost
two pints of blood.

Everyone, stand back, please

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
From the beginning,

police viewed this case
as an impending homicide.

They knew they were
racing against time

to get crucial information.

Can you hear me?

I'm Detective Turner.

I'm with the state police.

We want to find out what
happened to you today.

What I'd like you to do is I
want you to blink your eyes

once for yes and twice for no.

Do you know the
person who shot you?

[siren]

Was this person
driving in a vehicle?

[siren]

Was the person driving in a car?

[siren]

Was it a truck?

[siren]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Slowly but carefully, police

were able to piece together
an accurate description

of the suspect and his vehicle.

Carol was barely
clinging to life

when she reached
the emergency room.

The bullet tore through
her face about two inches

below her left eye.

Her carotid artery
had been severed,

paralyzing her left vocal cord.

Police would later
determine that the assailant

was just 10 feet away when
he pulled the trigger.

Immediately
following the shooting,

we had troopers and detectives,
on Brayman Hollow Road and all

the main intersections, looking
for both the suspect vehicle

and also a vehicle similar
in style to the one

driven by the victim.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Two drivers told police

that, in the hour
prior to the shooting,

a black pickup truck had
pulled on and off the highway,

repeatedly, taunting
other motorists.

DET.

MICHAEL F. FOLEY (VOICEOVER):
It's entirely possible that all

of the incidents are related.

And it was the same
black pickup truck

involved in all these incidents,
interfering with traffic.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A careful check

was run on Carol's background,
including her current

and former patients.

DET.

MICHAEL F. FOLEY:
During the background

investigation on our
victim, she had no enemies

that she was aware of.

We weren't able to
find any either.

It appears that it's a
totally random shooting.

And the victim
just happened to be

the next motorist to
encounter this fellow

on Brayman Hollow Road.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The investigation

then focused on finding
the black pickup truck.

Police learned there were
more than 300,000 trucks

in Connecticut that
fit the description

of the suspect's vehicle.

Investigators checked auto
body shops, garages, and gas

stations throughout the state.

They found nothing.

The vehicle is described
as a well-maintained,

black, step-side pickup truck.

It had flared fenders,
standard width blackwall tires,

and shiny plain wheel covers.

DET.

MICHAEL F. FOLEY: It's
the general feeling

of investigators that
the suspect is still

out in the area,
still going to work,

still going to the
same gas station.

He's just your average citizen,
who, for whatever reason,

on this particular
Monday morning,

either under the
influence or angry--

we just don't know what
provoked him to do this.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Three
months later, Carol's condition

had improved dramatically.

That she was left with
a grim physical reminder

of the incident.

The bullet that
pierced Carol's cheek

is still lodged in the back of
her neck, close to her spine.

CAROL: At first, I thought
about the bullet being

in me every day, half wanting
it out and not being in me.

But I'm afraid that if I
do go through an operation

that something may go wrong.

And it could be worse.

So I will just leave the
bullet in me until there's

complications or pain.

We have a motiveless
crime at this point.

We're not able to determine
any particular reason why

this gentleman would
get out of his truck

and, without any provocation,
shoot the only other person

around in the face and
do it so very quickly

and leave the girl for dead.

We don't have any idea
why someone would do that.

CAROL: I think of it every
day, especially when I look

in the mirror, and
I see the scars

and think about the incident.

That I am afraid and I'm also
angry that this happened to me,

and that he's still out
there and maybe leading

his normal life without any care
as to what happened to my life.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The suspect is a white male,

between 26 and 32 years of age.

He is approximately 5
feet 10 inches tall,

of medium build, with brown
curly hair covering his ears.

Next, the story of Carol
Solstad, an investigator

who has reunited dozens of
families with their lost

loved ones.

But Carol has been
searching for her own father

for over 40 years.

[music playing]

[music playing]

Between May and
September of 1945,

a jubilant spirit reigned
in the United States.

American GIs, justifiably
hailed as conquering heroes,

had finally begun coming
home from World War II.

By the thousands,
they arrived, flushed

with the optimism of victory,
to a welcome of ticker

tape parades and open arms.

Honk honk.

Honk honk.

Can you honk your horn?

One of the returning
soldiers was

Lieutenant Ray Hickenbotham,
a decorated war hero.

He was assigned to
Army intelligence

and settled down with
his wife, Dorothy,

and three-year-old
daughter, Carol,

at the Vint Hill
Farm Army Station,

outside Arlington, Virginia.

My memory was one of a
kind of magical summer.

It was the first time I had a
dad at home and my mom there.

There was just a lot of fun,
a lot of time for the family

to be together.

That's my girl.

I got you.

I got you.

[laughs]

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In no time,

the jubilant mood of
victory faded and and era

of fear and suspicion began.

Stalin and communist Russia,
our valiant allies in 1945,

were our deadly enemies by 1947.

The same year, Vint
Hill Farm Station

served as headquarters
for Ray Hickenbotham's

Army intelligence unit.

The station housed a top
secret radio operation.

It is believed that Ray was
part of a select group of expert

codebreakers, who
monitored radio

communications from behind the
newly created Iron Curtain.

The Cold War had begun.

JOHN R. STOCKWELL:
It's a good ulcer job.

You're sitting at a desk.

You're not mobile.

You can't get up.

I've seen them scream sometimes
in just physical frustration,

yeagh, you know?

And it's just trying to
ventilate their frustration,

while they continue
plodding away

with this boring but potentially
incredibly fascinating job.

I think I've got something.

Here, let me see that.

This just came in
over the China link.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In less than a year,

the Central Intelligence
Agency would be created.

And the group at Vint Hill Farm
would be absorbed into the CIA.

Where's Daddy?

Sweetie, Daddy's
at work tonight.

You know, he can't
always be here,

but that doesn't mean
he doesn't love you.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Ray found himself

working long, hard hours.

The work at Vint Hill Farm
took more and more time

away from his family.

[rumbling jeep engine]

Be back to pick me up at 3:00.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In late summer of 1947,

Ray was transferred to
another top secret group

at the Arlington Hall
Intelligence Station.

He did not tell Dorothy
about the new assignment.

See?

Say, watch what I can do.

- Watch what I can do.
- Yes.

Very good.

Ray, can you give some
attention to your daughter?

CAROL SOLSTAD (VOICEOVER): My
mother was worried, because he

seemed so tired and so uptight.

He became very tense.

And it became worse.

It just got worse and worse.

Ray.

Dorothy, I don't want to drag
you and Carol into my problems

at work.

Ray, that's what
we're here for.

We're a family.

Ray, I just want to talk to you.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Three weeks later, Dorothy

took Carol to Long Island
for a two week visit

with her grandparents.

When Dorothy tried to phone
Ray at their Vint Hill Farm

apartment, she was given
the surprising news

that he had gone on leave.

What?

Then her former neighbor
at the Army station

discovered that a moving
crew had suddenly appeared

at Dorothy and Ray's apartment.

What's going on here?

It's official Army
business, ma'am.

That's all I can tell you.

OK, go ahead and get this chair
and take it out to the truck.

CAROL SOLSTAD
(VOICEOVER): My mother

received a phone call from
the downstairs neighbor,

another officer's wife.

But she said to my mother, there
are movers upstairs, packers,

from the government, packing up
your things and taking them out

of your apartment.

What is happening?

And my mother was just
frantic, because she didn't

know what to make of this.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Indeed, military authorities

had emptied Ray and
Dorothy's apartment,

without a word of explanation.

[music playing]

Two weeks later, a moving
van showed up at Dorothy's

parents' house on Long Island.

In the boxes and
trunks was not one

single item belonging to Ray.

CAROL SOLSTAD (VOICEOVER):
No pictures, no letters,

no writing, nothing.

It was as though he had
been purged from our lives,

as though he was completely
gone and wiped out.

And my mother just didn't
know what to make of it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A month went by, then

a man claiming to be from
the Army visited Dorothy

on Long Island.

He brought shocking
news about Ray.

Look, this is all I know.

On October 14th, 1947,
he was listed as AWOL.

30 days later, he was dropped
from the military rolls

and classified as a deserter.

Captain, did you
know my husband?

Well, if you did, I
think you would agree,

he could never be
classified as a deserter.

I want to know what's
really going on here.

I'd like to be
able to tell you.

But I'm not at liberty to
discuss the matter any further.

Thanks for the coffee.

Look, I don't want to have to
be the one to tell you this,

because Ray's been
classified as a deserter,

you and Carol have lost
all your military benefits.

Look, I have my PX card.

Could I take you
over to the post,

get some groceries, something?

Thank you, but that
won't be necessary.

Goodbye.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Dorothy

later tried to get in touch
with the mysterious visitor.

The Army said they had
never heard of him.

CAROL SOLSTAD: My
mother was alone.

She was frightened.

And she was afraid
something terrible

had happened to my father.

Perhaps he'd gone
overseas and been

killed in the line of duty.

She could not comprehend
that he would just disappear.

She really thought the
government was withholding

information from her.

It is absolutely
not total paranoia

to wonder if the CIA or
another intelligence branch

had something to do
with his disappearance.

Just sitting right here,
in my own experience,

which didn't include that
wild era of intelligence,

I can think of a half-dozen
cases where people--

you know, there-- weird
things like that happened,

where the family was
not told the truth,

and the loved one did
disappear or died,

and they weren't
told how they died.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Ray
Hickenbotham was considered

a deserter and was in disgrace.

Carol and her mother
struggled to make ends meet.

Carol grew up, married,
and moved to Oklahoma,

where she lives today.

Ironically, Carol's
search for her father

developed into a career.

She is a private
investigator specializing

in reuniting lost families.

Carol has hundreds
of grateful clients.

Most of the people I deal
with are children looking

for parents, who have been
either separated by divorce

or who were never married to
the other parent in the picture.

And they want to create
a family relationship.

But I have found
brothers and sisters.

I have found grandparents.

I have found boyfriends
and girlfriends, even

an old teacher.
- Good to see you.

Same here.

It's been a long time.

Ah, I knew it was you as
soon as I got off the plane.

I would have never know you.

The most satisfying
thing for me

is when someone tells me, I
feel good for the first time

in many years.

This pain that I felt from
separation is relieved.

And I feel like I've
accomplished something,

and I've overcome
situations that

have built up over the years.

But I also feel a
sense of sadness,

because I can't
do it for myself.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Carol has never

given up on her own search.

She requested a copy of her
father's military records

under the 1971 Freedom
of Information Act.

In the summer of 1979, the
documents finally arrived.

CAROL SOLSTAD: As I look through
the material that I received,

I began to get a picture of
someone very special, someone

very highly trained, someone who
had performed at the top level.

And I came to believe
that this was a man

who would not just disappear.

One of the documents
revealed that there

had been no investigation
requested, by the Army,

into my father's disappearance,
that the FBI had never been

brought into the act at all.

And that appeared to
be very strange to us,

that a highly trained,
highly cleared officer could

disappear off the
face of the Earth

and no one went looking for him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
After 25 years of butting heads

with the government
bureaucracy, Carol

finally went to the media.

A newspaper article about
Carol and her missing father

appeared in the local
Arlington newspaper.

Three hours later, she received
an intriguing telephone call.

[phone ringing]

[clack]

Hello.

ARCHANGEL (ON PHONE):
May I speak to Carol--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The caller identified himself

by a codename, Archangel.

He was using a
car-phone but would

not reveal his exact location.

CAROL SOLSTAD (VOICEOVER): He
said that my article had really

rattled cages at the CIA.

And that it had really
shook people up.

Those were his words.

ARCHANGEL (ON PHONE):
Now listen carefully.

I've got to give
you some background.

There had been sensitive leaks
in the atomic energy area,

and your dad was
investigating those leaks.

In August of '47, an attempt
was made on his life.

His superior decided
to bury your father.

It was easier to drop
out 20 years ago.

Things were different.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The man

calling himself Archangel told
Carol that her father was not

a deserter.

Because Ray's life
had been in danger,

a paper trail had been created
to cover his disappearance.

The whole time, he was a
few miles from Arlington.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Archangel revealed

the astounding news
that, for nearly a year,

Ray Hickenbotham had lived only
three miles away from Carol

and her mother, hidden by
the government in the suburbs

of Washington, DC.

Where is he now?

ARCHANGEL (ON PHONE): Your
father is still alive.

His name is Nelson.

He lives in a NATO
country, where

there are high mountains,
crystal-clear lakes,

and a long-time democracy.

That's all I can say.

Look, I have to get off now.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

[clack]

When I hung up the phone,
I felt very drained.

Maybe he was a jokester
or a con artist.

Maybe he was going to
call back and want money.

I just didn't know
what to believe.

But there was a part of me that
kept saying, my dad's alive.

There's a chance.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Carol never heard

from the mysterious
caller again.

But she and her son, Ian,
have never stopped trying

to decipher Archangel's clues.

Let's see, it's
crystal-clear lakes.

It is possible that my father
chose to follow his career.

And that that was what he
wanted above all else, including

myself and our family.

And that's very painful.

I have compassion
for a young man, who

may have made a wrong choice.

We all make wrong choices.

And I want my father to
know that we love him,

and that it's-- it's forgotten.

We just want the pain of
not having him to end.

[music playing]

Tonight, an unusual
update concerning a case

featured last season on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

Garey Goff, who's been charged
with first degree murder

in the brutal shooting
death of an Arkansas man,

wants to make a personal plea
to his former lover and alleged

accomplice to turn herself in.

Ann!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): On
the night of October 19th, 1986,

39-year-old Charlie
Sigmin showed up

at the home of his
estranged wife, Ann,

and her boyfriend, Garey Goff.

According to Ann, Charlie
arrived in a drunken rage

and forced his way
into the house.

Once inside, Ann
claims that Charlie

began to beat her severely.

[shouts, barking, cries]

Then Garey Goff
came to her rescue.

Despite a broken arm, Garey
fought with Charlie, then

shot him seven times.

[gunshots]

Charlie died before
police arrived.

She was yelling at him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): During
interrogation by the police,

Ann and Garey claimed that the
shooting was in self-defense.

No charges were filed.

And they were released.

Suspicious of Ann and
Garey's story, authorities

continued to investigate
the shooting.

They wired one of Ann's
friends for sound.

--got much time.

Fine, I will wait
until tomorrow.

And then I'll call.

JACK DAVIS: She, in
talking with Mrs. Sigmin,

had told her she was
fixing to go to the police.

Mrs. Sigmin ultimately told
her not to go to the place

or asked her not
to go to the police

and give her time to-- her and
Mr. Goff time to leave town.

She incriminated
herself on the tape.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Authorities issued a warrant

for Ann and Garey's arrest.

But before they could serve
it, the couple disappeared.

On May 22nd, 1989,
Garey Goff voluntarily

surrendered to Pemiscot
County Sheriffs

on the charge of
first degree murder.

Goff is currently being
held at the Pemiscot County

jail, where tonight he wants to
make a personal appeal to Ann

Sigmin.

GAREY GOFF: I would like for
Ann to turn herself in and try

to get this straightened out.

And all I asked her to do is
come back and tell the truth.

That's what's got to come out,
the truth, whatever it is.

And I need some help, because
I don't know everything

that went on that night.

And the only way I'll
ever know is to find Ann.

[music playing]

[country music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Nashville, Tennessee, country

music capital of the world.

Each year, millions of
fans flock to the city

to see and hear their
favorite performers.

The music business
also attracts a host

of aspiring stars looking for
a foothold in the music world.

SHARON: Nashville
is like dreamland.

You know, people have
these big fantasies.

And everyday, people come here
just to make their fantasy

or their dream come true.

And a lot of those
people sacrifice

their whole life savings.

They'll spend their entire
life savings, everything

they've got on that dream.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Like thousands before him,

23-year-old Kevin
Hughes came to Nashville

with dreams of making it
big in the business-side

of the music industry.

But just after Kevin
began to establish himself

in the Nashville music
scene, his dreams

came to a violent end.

I'll talk to you next week.

All right, buddy.
All right, bye.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In 1986, Kevin left college

to become the director of
"Cash Box" magazine's top 100

country and western chart.

For Kevin, it was the
chance of a lifetime.

Well, we've got
everybody but two.

You got a couple of hours.

From the time he
was late grade school,

he started listening
to music and started

buying the magazines.

We'd have to go and
pick up "Billboards"

about 40 miles away,
because we couldn't

get them where we lived.

And he always read
the "Billboards"

and even would make up his own
charts and that type of thing.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
As chart director,

Kevin received playlist reports,
each week, from radio stations

across the country.

Based on these reports, he would
rank records, from 1 to 100,

according to their popularity.

A high position in
one of these charts

can be very influential to
the career of a new artist.

It was a lot of work.

It's a lot of work.

And in my tenure
as a promoter, I've

been through probably
12, 15, maybe

even more chart directors.

And he was probably,
overall, not only

the best but the most fair.

Yeah, I'll just leave
the front door unlocked.

SHARON: He was
real rare for any--

any kind of business not
just the music business.

He was just very kind
and very religious

and just a Christian
all the way around.

He was very honest and
trustworthy and loyal.

And he loved his job.

And so he put in dozens
of hours after-hours.

You know, after 5:00, he was
there several nights a week

working on the chart till
9:00 or 10 o'clock at night.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On the night of Thursday,

March 9th, after nearly
a year on the job,

Kevin was once
again working late,

making the final adjustments
for that week's chart.

[knocking]

Come on in, man.

It's unlocked.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): That
evening, Kevin's friend, Sammy

Sadler, an aspiring
singer-songwriter,

dropped by to say hello.

I'm OK.
How are you?

I'm great.

Working hard?

Yeah.

It's been a long day.

How much longer do you
think you'll be working?

I can go.

I can finish this up tomorrow.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At Kevin's suggestion,

the two young men
left the office,

at approximately 8:30 PM,
to go to a nearby restaurant

for dinner.

After dinner, Kevin and
Sammy made an unplanned stop

at Evergreen Records, the
company where Sammy worked,

so that he could use the phone.

SAMMY SADLER: You know, we were
just out having a good time.

I mean, you know, we didn't
know that we were going to eat.

I didn't know I was going to
eat when I got down there.

We didn't know we was
going to stop by Evergreen.

It just popped in our head.

You know, it popped in
his head, let's go eat.

And I just wanted to use the
phone to call my parents.

[clack]

SAMMY SADLER (VOICEOVER):
We come into Evergreen,

and we's in here about, I would
say, approximately 10 minutes.

Mom, how you doing?

SAMMY SADLER (VOICEOVER):
I was using the phone.

And while I was on
the phone, I heard

something rattle the door.

[rattle]

What was that?

I don't know.

Check it out.

SAMMY SADLER (VOICEOVER):
So Kevin got up

and walked out into the front.

I don't know whether he looked
out the front door or the side

window.

And when he come back in,
I just said, what was that?

And he said, well, it
looked like a black guy,

but I'm not for certain.

He said, I really couldn't tell.

And that's when I said-- well,
I told my mother, I said,

we'll call you later.

I said, we're going
to go on home.

Yeah, I have no idea.

You know, maybe if I'd
have been alone down here,

maybe something would
have sparked in my head

that something was
wrong, or, you know,

that something wasn't right.

But I had-- you know,
I was with somebody.

And I mean, never in
a million years do you

think you're going to get shot.

How's it look?

Man, that guy, he
went-- he went away.

He's gone.

SAMMY SADLER (VOICEOVER):
You know, you kind of usually

get a feeling inside
you if somebody's

behind you or walking
up to you or something.

And I never got that feeling.

--we are.

Yeah, for real.

But I ain't strange.

SAMMY SADLER (VOICEOVER):
And even when

we was walking
across the street,

I turned around and
looked behind us.

And I didn't see anything.

So I walked in front of
Kevin's car and opened the door

and sat down.

And as soon as I sat down and
started to reach for the door,

there was a guy out
on the sidewalk.

And that's when he shot me.

[gunshots]

Ahh!

Help!

Cops!

[gunshot]

[gunshot]

[scuffing sound]

[gunshots]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Sammy Saddler

survived the brutal attack
despite a bullet that severed

a major artery in his arm.

Kevin Hughes was shot three
times, two of the bullets

entered the back of his head.

He was dead when police
arrived at the scene.

We have no motive.

We have no suspect.

We have no-- no solid witnesses.

Even though we have five
people that witnessed this,

we have none that can tell us
what the suspect looked like.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The next day,

rumors began to circulate
through Nashville that Kevin's

murder was a professional hit.

Some people in the
music industry and media

speculated that Kevin had
either been mixed up in

or had refused to participate
in a chart manipulation scheme.

On the surface, it looks
like a pretty good theory.

That Kevin was in a position
to make a number 100 song--

so he could make it number 5.

Or the charts could be padded.

And Kevin, if he was
taking money from somebody,

from a promoter or
whoever, from a singer,

he could, in theory, push
this person's record up.

But we found no
evidence of that.

Kevin was not involved in that.

He was not the type of person
to be involved in that.

If he was involved in
something that he didn't want

to participate, a phone
call could be made,

and he could be fired.

Or he could be
terminated for it.

But why kill him?

His job wasn't that
important to be killed for.

That's what we've determined.

If it's a professional hit,
why do it with a witness there,

with Sammy Sadler there?

If Sammy wasn't the target,
why even include Sammy?

Why not wait until
Kevin was alone?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A second theory

is that Sammy and Kevin
were the tragic victims

of a robbery gone wrong.

Help!
DET.

BILL PRIDEMORE: How
can it be a robbery,

when nothing is ever spoken.

And the shooter
chased Kevin down

and killed him, made it a
point to make sure he was dead.

Even after he had shot
Kevin twice in the head,

he never once made any attempt
to take any money from Kevin.

He ran away as soon
as he fired the shots.

You're up three,
but you're going

to lose your bullet this week.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Another theory

connected to Kevin's work
is that he may have been

the target of an angry
manager or performer,

with a misguided grudge.

I just do what
radio tells me to do.

I've got no control
over it, nothing at all.

CHUCK DIXON: It might be a
person that didn't understand,

that maybe blamed
Kevin for the failure.

Because he wrote a song, and
it didn't become successful.

And he needed somebody to blame.

I could say that
could be a theory.

But that's the only
way that I would ever

believe that it
was music related,

if you want to call
that music related.

I don't.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For Sammy Sadler,

the nightmare that began on that
cold spring night continues.

[music - "tell it like it is"]

He's undergone surgery
on his right arm

and may need more
to repair nerve

damage caused by the assailant.

[music - "tell it like it is"]

Although he continues to
pursue a singing career,

he has been unable to play
the guitar since being shot.

[music - "tell it like it is"]

SAMMY SADLER (VOICEOVER): You
know, I would like to know why,

because I don't know why.

I don't know who or why.

I mean, I can sit here
and talk about it now.

You know, then, you
know, I couldn't.

But it's still hurts.

And you know, you
can't bring him back.

I just hope, you know--

I hope that this
helps solve the case.

Because nobody knows,
nobody understands why.

[music - "tell it like it is"]

One possible clue to
the gunman's identity

is a baseball cap found
near Kevin Hughes'

body the night of his murder.

It bears the inscription,
"World War II Veteran

and Damn Proud of It,"
as well as a drawing

of a combat infantryman.

Police theorize that it may have
fallen from the killer's coat

as he leaned over Kevin
and fired the fatal shots.

They have been unable to locate
the owner or manufacturer.

[MUSIC PLAYING, GHOSTLY
GUNSHOTS]

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

who has been partially
deaf since birth

and wants to reunite
with a father

she has not seen for 17 years.

[music playing]

"Unsolved Mysteries"
is broadcast

in a closed captioned
version, so that the hearing

impaired may also participate.

Recently, we received
this letter from a woman

named Patti English.

Partially deaf since birth,
Patti asked for our help

in locating her father, whom
she had not seen for 17 years.

In her touching
letter, Patti writes,

I want to hold my dad so much.

I remember his feeling,
love and kindness.

With your help, tonight,
Patti's wish may come true.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When Patti's mother brought

her new baby girl home
from the hospital,

on Christmas day of
1958, Patti was already

a victim of circumstance.

Her mother, Helen,
was just 17 years

old and pregnant when she
married 21-year-old Robert

Wilson Miller.

The couple separated
before Patti was born.

Patti's premature birth was
responsible for her deafness.

PATTI ENGLISH (VOICEOVER):
I was a tiny baby.

My mother carried
me only six months.

But they thought
I'll never make it.

And-- but I make it.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The day

Patti was brought
home, her father

had reappeared with a crib
and a beautiful white dress.

Hi, Helen.

How are you doing?

Hello, Robert.

I got some presents
for the baby.

That was good of you.

Hey, can I hold her?

She's your daughter.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Sadly, the marriage was doomed.

And the couple divorced
within weeks of Patti's birth.

You're You're beautiful.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Patti's mother

eventually remarried.

And Patti spent
her early childhood

assuming that her mother's new
husband was her real father.

[loud knocking]

Howdy!

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): One day,

when she was five
years old, Patti

saw a strange man at her door.

I'm Robert Wilson Miller.

Yeah?

Is Helen home?

Nope.

Can I see Patti?

Nope.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Patti
was unable to hear what they

said, but through lip
reading she was able to get

the gist of their conversation.

She's my kid.

PATTI ENGLISH
(VOICEOVER): I watched

his lips, what he is saying.

And it's hard for
me understanding

what he's talking about.

Please?

A couple of minutes.

But he said, I have
the right to see her,

because she's my daughter.

And he talked real
nice and real friendly.

And I really liked this man.

You're such a big girl.

You know, the last time I held
you, you were just a baby.

You may not understand this, OK?

I'm your daddy.

STEPFATHER: Time's up, pal.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): By
the time the stranger left,

Patti was bewildered.

My stepfather said,
he is not your father.

And I'm your father.

And I didn't know what's
happening then, at that time.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
As the years went by,

Patti remembers enduring
the pain of separation

and the loneliness of
growing up unloved.

Hi.

Can I help you?

I'm, uh, Robert Wilson Miller.

We spoke earlier about--
- Oh, yes.

Oh, this is my wife.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But
in 1971, when Patti was 12,

her father found her again.

Her junior high school
allowed him into the classroom

to see his child.

Hi, Patti.

How are you?

Do you remember me?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Patti's father

had hoped that his daughter
would recognize him,

but Patti was confused.

I'll see you again, someday.

PATTI ENGLISH: I had
a strange feeling.

He's so good to me.

He hugged me.

And he kissed my forehead.

And he started crying.

And his wife started to
comfort, put her arm around him.

And I feel that he cares.

My mother and my stepfather
never gave me a hug.

And I want their
attention, their love.

But never had one from
them when I was a kid.

Patti, he is your real father.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): When
Patti finally realized who

the man was, she ran after him.

You all keep working.

I found out that
he's my really father.

Because I had the feeling,
warm feeling from him.

And I know then, he's my dad.

Patti!

Patti, where are you going?

PATTI ENGLISH (VOICEOVER):
And I come out.

And I saw his car going
out of the parking lot.

And I start to wave
at him, like this.

Dad, don't go.

And to late, he left.

I want my daddy.

I cry in the pain.

And all this
nightmare I ever had.

And I really want my dad.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Patti remembers enduring

a traumatic adolescence and,
finally, at the age of 14,

ran away from home and
ended up in a shelter.

PATTI ENGLISH (VOICEOVER):
I was sitting by the window,

looks out.

And I was thinking
about my past life,

terrible things in my mind.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At the shelter,

a social worker took an
interest in Patti's case.

And after calling every Robert
Miller in the phone book,

finally located Patti's father.

He arrived and heard his
daughter's sad story.

I don't want to go back there.

I want to go home with you.

He explained that he
would call a lawyer.

But a few days later,
Patti was sent back home

to her mother and stepfather.

Her father had promised
to visit Patti.

And for an agonizing week, after
coming home from the shelter,

Patti waited for him to arrive.

What's going on?

Get in there!

PATTI ENGLISH
(VOICEOVER): My stepfather

had the hammer with him.

And he come up to
my natural father.

And I thought, oh,
no, please, don't go.

Please, don't go.

We want Patti to come with us.

She's not going anywhere.

Look, I don't
want any trouble.

But we talked to
her at the shelter,

and we spoke to a lawyer.

STEPFATHER: Get out of here.

PATTI ENGLISH
(VOICEOVER): And he left.

I mean, he looked at
me, at the storm door,

and then it was sad.

It was.

And he left.

Get upstairs.

So I ran in my bedroom,
cried and cried and cried.

Then I went up to the window,
and I looked to say my prayer.

I said, God, please,
bring him back.

I need him.

I love him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Patti
never saw her father again.

She believes that he was blocked
from visiting by legal action

and feels certain
that he would have

taken her if it was possible.

Fortunately, as Patti
grew into an adult,

her life began to improve.

After meeting her husband,
James, in 1977, she soon

began to raise her own family.

Though her husband is also
deaf, their two children

can hear perfectly.

And they have grown
up in an atmosphere

of love and affection.

Today, Patti wants to
find her real father

and introduce him to
the husband she loves

and the grandchildren
she is so proud

to have brought into the world.

PATTI ENGLISH: I'm
happy with my marriage.

I'm happy with my children.

And I really want my dad.

And I hope I can see him again.

It would be rejoicing.

Just minutes after
her story aired,

Patti received a surprise phone
call from one of our viewers,

her half-sister, who
is also named Patti.

Two days later, Patti and her
father met for the first time

in more than 17 years.

Ah, hey.

Hi.

I love you, Patti.

Yeah, I love you, too.

I first met Dad,
I was really crying.

And we were hugging.

We were crying.

And it was good.

ROBERT ENGLISH: It was just a
beautiful feeling, you know.

It just-- it's sad,
but it's beautiful.

You know, you just--

you just choke up.

And you know, you hurt on
the inside and everything.

It was just-- it
was just wonderful.

You know, that's a lot of years.

We got a lot of
catching up to do.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For Patti, the reunion

with her father marked the
beginning of a new chapter

in her life, one of love,
fulfillment, and family.

All these years,
in my heart, I feel

that I'm still his daughter.

And I know I'm
still his daughter.

And I want to have a
second chance of life,

second chance of family.

And I'm very excited.

I'm very grateful.

[music playing]

Join me next week
for another edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[music playing]