All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S02E17.480p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-PLAYREADY_track3_[und]

ANNOUNCER (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):
Tonight on Unsolved Mysteries--

the heartwarming
story of a Vietnam vet

whose battle wounds
nearly cost him his life;

and the army nurse who
healed him both physically

and emotionally.

You may be able to help
reunite them after 20 years.

By all appearances,
Gertrude Pruitt

seemed to be the kindly
grandmother you would find

in a Norman Rockwell painting.

But in reality, this
sweet little old lady

was a con artist who stole
$3 million from investors.

And in Missouri,
we'll investigate

a baffling case of kidnapping,
bank robbery, and murder.

Did a bank president die as
a victim in a simple hold up,

or was his death a cruel
and callous execution?

Join me for these
fascinating stories.

Perhaps someone somewhere
has that one vital clue

that can help solve a mystery.

Perhaps that
someone is watching.

Perhaps, it's you.

[theme music playing]

Jim Baczkowski lives with
his family in the small town

of Grand Junction, Colorado.

He and his wife,
Dolores, have two sons.

In 1968, Jim was
wounded by enemy action

during the Vietnam War.

For over 20 years,
he and his family

have had to cope
with his injuries,

both physical and emotional.

During the war, Jim
was one of thousands

of troops manning the
constantly changing front lines.

What he went through
turned his life inside out.

But one memory of the
war Jim still holds dear.

That memory has a
name and a face--

Linda Sharp.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: Captain Sharp
was the only good memory I had.

She had something
about her that made

you feel comfortable, warm,
want to live, and go back home--

when you were dying.

The hushed fields
of gravestones

here at the National Cemetery
in Arlington, Virginia,

are mute testimony to the
tragic toll of the Vietnam War.

Thousands of surviving
Vietnam veterans

have tried to put
the war behind them.

Some have succeeded,
many have not.

For them, the war continues.

But one of the few memories
that can still inspire a smile

among vets is a selfless
devotion and kindness exhibited

by the nearly 10,000
nurses, who in many cases,

literally breathed the life
back into their patients.

Jim Baczkowski was
one such survivor.

20 years ago, an
army nurse named

Linda Sharp gave Jim
the strength he needed

to return home to his wife.

He feels that if he can
reunite with Captain Sharp,

his private war will be
much closer to ending.

Jim was drafted in
December of 1967,

and after boot camp was
sent for advanced training

to Fort Polk, Louisiana.

When he learned he was
to be shipped to Vietnam,

he placed a late night
call to his high school

sweetheart, Dolores, whom he'd
been dating for five years.

Dolores?

Fine.

Look, I've been giving
this a lot of thought.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: I waited
in line in the rain

for over four hours,
and I told her

that I was going to Vietnam.

And I said, will you marry me?

But, what do you say?
[knocking on door]

Give me a minute!

JIM BACZKOWSKI: I was 19.
She was 18.

You will?

Oh, that's great!

She said yes.

I turned him down
the first two times.

And then I decided after
that it was time to say yes,

because I knew he
was going to leave.

So we got married
before he left.

I wasn't sure when
he was coming back.

I knew the time was a year.

I just knew the year would
have to hurry up and get by.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Only
a week after they were married,

Jim was shipped off to Vietnam.

[sound of helicopter propellers]

JIM BACZKOWSKI: We landed
and we're all scared.

Seeing now, I didn't know
what I was getting into.

I had no idea.

But I found out.

[sound of explosions]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Within three months,

Jim was wounded twice--

once in the jaw and
once in his leg.

On August 29, 1968
just two days before he

was to be reunited with
his new bride in Hawaii,

Jim's platoon was attacked by
a group of North Vietnamese.

[sound of gun shots]

JIM BACZKOWSKI: They
blew us to smithereens.

We didn't even have a chance.

There are 60 of us--

somewhere between
250 and 300 of them--

and it wiped out
my whole company.

At the time I was operating
the radio for a Lieutenant,

because we were two
people side by side.

He was dead.

And then the next thing I knew,
I was reaching for a weapon.

I went flying through the air.

I landed 30 feet down the hill.

I picked up my leg
that was blown off,

and I crawled back up the hill.

DOLORES: Who's at the door, dad?

I think you better
read this here.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A
telegram was sent to Dolores'

parents addressed to her.

It's going to be
all right, honey.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
It stated, "James P.

Baczkowski was
wounded in Vietnam

as a result of hostile action.

He received traumatic
amputation of the right leg

when engaged by hostile
force in a firefight.

You will be kept informed
of any significant changes

in his condition."

DOLORES BACZKOWSKI:
I just cried.

It's OK.

[crying]

DOLORES BACZKOWSKI: I couldn't
believe it really happened.

Because you hear of things
happening to everyone else,

but not to your own family.

I guess I just kept looking
at it like it can go away.

And it doesn't go away.

It just stays there, and you
have to learn to live with it.

Coming through!

Coming through, coming through!

We got a patient
now coming through!

Coming through, coming through!

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Jim had

been rushed by helicopter
to the 67th evacuation

hospital in Qui Nhon.

His prognosis was grim.

His fever hovered
at 105 degrees.

And his wound was
badly infected.

He had also left six pints of
blood behind in the jungle.

Coming through,
we got a patient!

I'll be right there!

Coming through!

[interposing voices]

Coming through!

Has he been conscious at all?

I don't know.

He's coming in and out.
I don't know.

I'll be right there!

He looks bad.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: My
first conscious memory

was looking up and
seeing this blonde lady

in fatigues helping me.

You'll be fine, soldier.

You'll be fine.

JIM BACZKOWSKI:
Captain Lynn Sharp.

I just woke up and
opened my eyes,

and she was looking over me.

We need a doctor
back over here!

JIM BACZKOWSKI: I
heard people talking.

And he ain't going to make it.

And all I saw was her
looking down on me.

It'll be all taken care of.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: She gave me
the encouragement to live.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Because

of the extreme infection,
what was left of Jim's

leg was amputated at the hip.

This was followed
by a frigid bath

to lower his high
body temperature.

At this time, Jim began to
become more aware of Captain

Sharp's constant attention.

Hi, Jim.

How are you doing?

Good.

Going for a little swim?

JIM BACZKOWSKI: The
lady was phenomenal.

Hey, you know, we need
to hurry up and get your--

[interposing voices]

JIM BACZKOWSKI:
Every time I'd open

my eyes, that lady's blue eyes
would be looking down at me.

It looks like
you're feeling better.

Hey, I promise if you get
your temperature down,

I could take you out and
go get a couple of beers.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: She told me
when your temperature drops

and you get into bed,
I'll wheel you outside,

and I'll bring you a cold beer.

I promise.

That's what I'm going to do.

If you weren't cold before--

[sound of ice pouring out]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Over a period of six days,

Captain Sharp was always there.

And Jim slowly began to heal.

You'll be going home soon.

Good night, guy.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
With her help,

Jim regained his former spirit--

his will to live.

Want to go dancing
when we get back home?

SOLDIER: Oh, you know I'd
up and dance the night away.

Time to go, Jim.

Go where?

You'll see.

What are you doing?

You'll see.

Be quiet.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Late one night,

two days before Jim
was scheduled to leave,

Captain Sharp kept her word.

Do I keep my promises?

Wow!

[laughter]

JIM BACZKOWSKI: Stars were
out-- beautiful night--

My own stock.

--and she brought
two cans of beer--

popped them both-- sat on the
edge of the bed and smiled.

So you're going to write
your wife about your leg?

I don't know how.

Now you start it with
one word at a time.

I just don't know
what to say her.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: You
were not allowed

to leave the MASH unit until
you wrote a letter to your wife.

I didn't have the
courage to write it.

She forced me to do it.

And then I didn't know she had
sent a letter and a picture

to my wife with it, telling
my wife what to expect.

CAPTAIN SHARP (VOICEOVER):
Dear Mrs. Baczkowski--

I'm the head nurse on the
ward where Jim is now.

It truly is not possible for
me, a poor letter writer,

to tell you how very
much Jim loves you.

When he talks about you, his
lovely blue eyes sparkle,

and he gets a wide
grin on his face.

In spite of his missing
leg, he is probably

the most cheerful and
optimistic patient I have ever

had the pleasure of caring for.

His spirit and
determination are marvelous.

And with your hard
work and help--

not pity-- he'll
make rapid progress.

However, both of you have a
long, difficult road ahead.

There will be days when
Jim will be discouraged.

But don't you or
any of your families

ever feel sorry for him.

He needs understanding,
love, and help--

not pity.

A missing limb doesn't
make Jim less of a person.

And it certainly doesn't
lessen his love for you.

Jim leaves tomorrow for
Japan, and then home.

We shall all miss him.

God bless you both.

Sincerely, Captain Linda Sharp.

DOLORES BACZKOWSKI:
The letter helped me,

because nobody in my family
has ever had anybody lose a leg

or hurt in a war.

They didn't understand.

Her letter just let you
know what to expect.

I've always wondered
why she wrote.

I guess that's
kind of a question

that'll always be there.

[sound of helicopter propellers]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Finally, on September 5, 1968,

Jim began his long journey home.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: When I left,
she pushed me out on my bed

to the chopper.

She gave me a big hug.

Take care, Jim.

So long!

JIM BACZKOWSKI: I
thought about her

since the day I left Vietnam.

I just think about her.

The camaraderie when you
make a friend in Vietnam

is there until the person dies.

I lived.

I don't think that I would
have came back to my wife

without Captain Sharp.

She just gave me all
the encouragement,

and the strength, and
the motivation to live.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In 1969, Jim

was awarded two Purple Hearts
for wounds sustained in combat,

and a Silver Star for
his bravery under fire.

But Jim's war raged on silently.

DOLORES BACZKOWSKI:
Jim blocked out Vietnam

for years and years.

He didn't want people to know
he was a Vietnam veteran.

He would just assume people
thought his leg was lost

in a car accident or something.

He really did not want people to
know that he'd been to Vietnam.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For 20 years,

Jim has suffered
from what has become

known as post-traumatic
stress disorder.

Only recently has he
begun to come to grips

with his war experiences.

Linda Sharp helped Jim to
transcend his physical wounds.

He wants to find her today
so he can say, thank you.

DOLORES BACZKOWSKI: He's
ready to look for her now,

because now he's well enough
mentally to look for her.

And I think if he could meet
her, it might help him to heal.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Jim and Dolores

have recently celebrated their
21st wedding anniversary--

a life together they
feel might have been

impossible without Linda Sharp.

JIM BACZKOWSKI:
I would very much

like to get in touch
with Captain Linda Sharp,

if it's at all
possible, and thank

her for what she did for me--

and all the other guys.

[crying]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Before the segment even aired,

Linda Sharp saw a promotional
announcement for Jim's story

on Unsolved Mysteries.

She immediately
called our telecenter.

Two weeks later--

[doorbell]

--she and Jim were reunited.

Hi!

Hi!

- How are you?
- Good!

How are you?

Come here.

I can't believe it.

You look so good--

you really do.
[laughter]

You too.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: When I opened
the door, I was elated.

All I wanted to do was
give her a great big hug--

and just hug her and thank her,
and kissed her on the cheek,

and just--

aw-- just trying to
show my appreciation.

I feel very blessed to
be here and to actually

see him, and talk
with him, and hear

his versions of what went on.

Because sometimes
what-- what nurses

don't-- we don't
realize that we have

an impact on patients' lives.

And I certainly didn't
realize the impact

I had on his life at all.

Hello!

Hi, how are you?

How are you?

CAPTAIN SHARP (VOICEOVER):
Over the years

I've thought about--
about Jim and Dolores,

and wondered how
they were doing,

and if they were still together.

And seeing this show on TV,
and seeing them in the segment

was just the best
news that-- that

just made it all worthwhile.

It really pulled
things together for me.

And it-- it reinforced
that-- that what I did over

there was important.

Linda, this is my son, Cory.

Hi, Cory!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Moments after arriving,

Linda received an
unexpected gift--

a portrait of a Vietnam nurse,
which Jim had framed for her.

Well, this is how
much I think of you.

I had this made up for you.

And I thought you'd
like to have this.

Oh, my God.

[gasps]

CAPTAIN SHARP (VOICEOVER):
When he gave me the plaque,

it was just such
a special moment.

It's made this day
very, very special--

something that-- that is
likely the culmination

of a nursing career.

Thank you.

[laughter]

To be thanked in such a
special way is very memorable--

something I'll never forget.

JIM BACZKOWSKI: This meeting
with Linda represents

in my healing, the final step--

knowing that I, in my
own mind, mentally,

physically, and the way I
feel right now, am all right.

I finally beat the battle.

We lost a few
battles, but I've won

the war, let me rephrase that.

I have won the war.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When we return,

we will meet a
sweet and charming

little only lady,
who in reality,

is a cunning and elusive crook.

[theme music playing]

Most of us consider ourselves
decent judges of character.

And we'd think we'd know
a crook if we saw one.

But con artists come in
all sorts of packages.

Even a grandmother
baking goodies

could be able to take
your money and run.

Meet Gertrude Pruitt.

Morning, everybody!

Come on out, Katie!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
From 1979 to 1981,

this grandmotherly
70-year-old con woman

ran what appeared to be
a flourishing investment

business in Beverly Hills.

Won't you have some
of my fruit cake?

Thank you very much.

Thanks.

I just made it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
This crafty granny

hit her seamy
business activities

behind a facade of southern
hospitality and homemade

fruitcake, while making
off with $3 million

of her investors' money.

You couldn't
help but like her.

And when you looked
at the woman,

she was so smooth and trusting,
and very soft sell, that she--

you thought of as almost family.

She was a homey business woman.

Even though you knew she
had the business skills,

she also never lost her
touch in the kitchen.

I mean, I'm not a
big fruitcake lover,

but they were delicious,
to be honest with you.

As you see, this carpeting
is so beautiful, isn't it?

And all these lovely colors--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Gertrude claimed

that her investment
opportunities came

from special connections
with carpet factories

and textile mills in the south.

And we have pre-sold a
large order to a hotel chain.

MICHAEL HIRSCH:
What impressed me

the most was that although
the returns seemed almost too

good to be true,
Gertrude seemed like such

a loving, sincere person--

that it was a
legitimate investment,

and that she could do no
harm to her investors.

Well, of course you
should give it some thought.

I think it'll be nice if you
would talk to Cecil about it

a little more.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Even when

Gertrude didn't feed people
her own home cooking,

she insisted that they be fed.

Here, why don't you take this.

And take Mike out for
lunch at the Brown Derby.

It's just around the corner.

They've got awfully good food.

Awfully nice meeting you.

And you'll be
hearing from me soon.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Nothing was too good

for Gertrude Pruitt's clients.

She often hired limousines to
pick up potential investors

and bring them to a
posh office building.

One of those
investors was a woman

who would soon discover
that she had a weakness

for charm and fruit cake.

She has requested that her
identity be kept secret.

We will call her Myrna.

Hi.

Hi!

I'm Myrna Patterson.

I have an appointment
with Gertrude Pruitt.

One moment.

Thank you.

MYRNA: Gertrude selected a
really magnificent outlay

for just selling carpets.

I mean this was
two stories high.

Mrs. Patterson!

MYRNA: Well, my first
impression of Gertrude

was that she was standing
there sizing me up.

And then because
she was so cordial,

she was southern,
and so sort of warm,

that I forgot all about the
fact that I was being sized

up, and just entered into her
world of how bright she was

and how able she was.

I have a wonderful a
business opportunity for you.

Have you?

I originally
invested about 20,000.

But as I watched the
operation from the sheets--

the balance sheets that
were coming out monthly--

and watched the fact that people
were getting their interest,

I invested more.

And this my
secretary, Jennifer.

MYRNA: Well, Gertrude
really was the office.

She was out working every
day early in the morning

until very late at night,
handling the customers,

handling the money.

And Harold was in his office.

But what he was
doing, I never knew

Remember, you work for me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Gertrude's 40-year-old son,

Harold, was her partner
in the business.

But he had very little
contact with the clients.

He was a glowering, unfriendly
man, in sharp contrast

to his sweet, southern mother.

--in the office?

Oh yes, I'd like to.

CECIL TRUSCHEL: Even
though I was Gertrude

and Harold's banker,
for 2 1/2 years,

I never really met
Harold for almost

the first year and a 1/2.

He was the kind of a person
who you would not have trusted

or bought a car
from, you might say.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Myrna invested

$100,000 before she
had her first inkling

that something was wrong.

You can't go in there.

Gertrude.

Gertrude.

You know that check you
gave me-- it bounced.

I just came from the bank.

They said insufficient funds.

- Oh, I don't believe that.
- Well, I do.

I just came from the bank.

I know what happened.

Harold just deposited
a large check,

and it must not
have cleared yet.

MYRNA: Sick as I
was, inside I was

still playing it like a friend,
which I thought she was.

It's safe with us, all right?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
It was impossible for Myrna

to believe that this
charming, adorable woman

could be conning her.

So instead of
pressing the issue,

she took home a fruitcake
and accepted a lunch date.

- Well, thank you.
- Aw.

Well, we put you
through some trouble.

So how about lunch next week?

[beeping sound]

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Myrna's

bad check was not the only one.

The Pruitt's switchboard
was jammed with angry calls.

Both Gertrude and Harold
made themselves scarce.

Katie, have you
heard from Gertrude?

Here's more messages.

Thank you very much for holding.

No.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Finally.

Employee Cecil Truschel
secretly contacted

the Pruitt's accountant
and received a rude shock.

The financial statements
Gertrude had been showing

investors were
completely different

from the accountant's records.

Well, Steve, that can only
mean that the statements are

fraudulent.

CECIL TRUSCHEL: It was
at that particular period

of time I knew that there
were serious problems.

And I just didn't know where
they had been stashing money.

OK.

I'll get back to you.

Bye.

CECIL TRUSCHEL: So at night,
sometimes between the wee bitty

hours of 1:00 and 3:00,
I made midnight raids.

I found every canceled
check, every statement that

had been paid,
everything that I could

remove out of that office.

And by the end of the
time I had about four

cardboard boxes full of stuff.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Because his friends and family

had invested heavily with the
Pruitt's, Cecil confronted

Harold with his evidence.

Harold, I've got
enough evidence

to prove that this whole
company is a phony.

And you've got two days
to come up with the money,

or I'm going to go
to the authorities.

Are you threatening me?

I'm not threatening
you, Harold.

I'm telling you the truth.

CECIL TRUSCHEL: He told me all
of the people had done nothing

but made investments, and
there was a risk to be made.

And I looked at him.

And I said to him--

I said, Harold, they made an
investment on a pack of lies

that you have presented to them.

And that's called fraud.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Cecil reported

both Harold and Gertrude
Pruitt to the authorities.

But the two of them
had disappeared,

taking their investors'
money with them.

Three years later, the FBI
tracked down Harold Pruitt,

and in 1986 brought
him to trial.

None of the investors'
money was recovered.

Sweet motherly Gertrude Pruitt
was nowhere to be found.

MICHAEL HIRSCH: It
was really amazing

that Gertrude would leave
Harold behind to take the rap.

Everybody thought that
Harold was a little bit

of a hard character,
but Gertrude still

was the sweet loving momma.

And when she failed to show
up and became a fugitive,

everybody was surprised.

I've read every
one of these letters.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Based on the trial testimony

of 10 victims,
Harold was convicted

on 20 counts of mail fraud.

He is currently serving
an eight year sentence

at a California state prison.

His mother was
never apprehended.

Update.

Gertrude Pruitt
has been captured.

Just minutes after this
story originally aired,

the Sacramento,
California FBI office

received several calls from
viewers who recognized Pruitt.

Five days later, she was
arrested at a Bakersfield,

California residence
where she was

working as a live-in housekeeper
under the assumed name Martha

Gray.

On May 29, 1990, Gertrude
Pruitt pleaded guilty to seven

counts of mail fraud.

She was sentenced to
eight years in prison,

and is currently serving her
term at a federal penitentiary.

Pruitt was also ordered
to pay restitution

to her former investors.

Next, a baffling
story of the murder

of a popular bank president.

Was robbery the motive?

Or was it a brutal execution?

[theme music playing]

At 8:30 AM, the morning
of October 6, 1989,

an employee of a known
Missouri state bank

arrived as usual
to open the doors.

Strangely, one of
them was unlocked.

Anybody here?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): What
she saw inside shocked her.

The vault was wide open.

During the night, the
bank had been robbed.

The FBI, along with three
different police forces

investigated.

They discovered two 45
caliber bullet casings.

$70,000 was missing from the
vault, some of it in coins.

OFFICER: Try Dan Short again.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Repeated

attempts were made to contact
the bank president, Dan Short.

But he was nowhere to be found.

[phone ringing]

It's just ringing.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
People began to wonder if Dan

Short had robbed his own bank.

Dan Short was 51 years
old and separated

from his wife of 23 years.

He had been president of the
State Bank of Lowell since 1983

and was popular
with people in town.

On October 11, 1989, five
days after the robbery,

Dan Short's body was finally
found floating in Grand

Lake, 20 miles from the bank.

The macabre truth was that
Dan Short had been alive when

he was thrown into the water.

LADELL FARLEY: He was
tied to a chair, which

had a concrete block taped
to it with duct tape,

with no apparent wounds to
the extent to cause death.

It appeared at that point that
he had indeed been drowned,

being thrown from the bridge.

It was appalling to think that
any human being would do this

to another, particularly
with the obvious motive being

just to conceal a robbery or the
identities of the perpetrators.

If Dan Short's murder was
simply part of a bank robbery,

why would the robbers choose
such a deliberately cruel

way of killing their hostage?

People no longer wondered if Dan
Short had robbed his own bank.

But they did begin to
wonder if he might have

had enemies bent on revenge.

Could Dan Short's
bizarre death had

been an execution with a bank
robbery used merely as a cover?

Noel, Missouri--
population 1,200--

is located just a few
miles from the Oklahoma

and Arkansas borders.

Its economy centers
around chicken farming.

When Dan Short took over the
State Bank presidency in 1983,

the local economy
was in bad shape.

Dan had the tricky
job of balancing

the needs of the local
people with the bank's

need to turn a profit.

In the process, he naturally
alienated some people.

Dan, could I talk to
you about that appraisal?

Sure.
Sure.

DON DUNCAN: He had
some difficulties

that he had to straighten
out in order for the bank

to-- to function properly.

There was repossessions,
restructuring,

denial of credit.

But even though he had
a difficult position,

he was able to win
the people over.

He became a friend
of the people.

He wasn't particularly outgoing.

He wasn't a back slapper.

But people accepted
him for what he was--

and that was just a
genuinely nice person.

[sound of car starting]

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Dan Short

lived eight miles outside
of Noel in an extremely

isolated location.

On the night of the
robbery, he had a guest

who left just before 11 PM.

The FBI has attempted
to reconstruct

what happened once Dan
Short was alone in his home.

[knocking at door]

They believe his abductor showed
up sometime between the hours

of 11:00 PM at 1:30 AM.

Could I use your
telephone, please?

What?

My car broke down up the road.

May I use your telephone?

LADELL FARLEY: Probably
the perpetrators

went to his front door armed--

Put up your hands!

LADELL FARLEY: --and when
Mr. Short answered the door,

they immediately restrained him
and later took him to the bank.

We want the money.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to the FBI,

Dan Short and his abductors
arrived at the bank

around 2:00 AM.

[sound of keys jingling]

LADELL FARLEY: Indications
are that the perpetrators

forced him to turn
the alarm off,

to unlock the front doors--

then after gaining
entry into the bank,

dealt with the surveillance
camera to some extent and spray

painting the lens, and turning
the camera around backwards.

Hey, where's the money?
Open it then.

Right.

Come on!

Here.

LADELL FARLEY: The
perpetrators took only

what cash they saw in the vault,
which was approximately $70,000

including coins--

And where's the
rest of the money?

LADELL FARLEY: --leaving
behind approximately $100,000

that Mr Short was aware of--

led us to believe that he
was not willingly involved

and probably did not volunteer
that the extra currency was

there at the time
of the robbery.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): As
the robbers left the bank,

one of them fired at
the surveillance camera,

disconnecting it.

People who lived
nearby heard the shots.

The time was shortly
before 3:00 AM.

[gunshots]

[car screeching]

A few minutes later, on
the outskirts of town,

a caravan of three vehicles
was cited by a local trucker.

The first vehicle looked
like Dan Short's pickup.

TRUCKER: As I was driving
south through town

I'd seen the red pickup, with
two vehicles following it,

cross the bridge.

I didn't pay that much
attention to the ones behind it.

I went on South, and the little
blue pickup passed me about 1/2

a mile south.

He'd cut me short.

And as he cut me
short, I looked.

He looked back out
of the back glass.

I'd seen his face.

He was a heavy set guy with
long hair and a beard--

brown hair.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Only the killers

know exactly what happened
during the next three hours.

At some point, they
ditched Dan Short's pickup

and put him in the van.

There they chained
him to a kitchen chair

with weights attached.

LADELL FARLEY: It's very
possible that Mr. Short was

even unconscious as they put him
into the chair, due to the fact

that the chair was not a
strong piece of furniture

and with a weight already
on it, any kind of struggle

would have likely broken
the chair up prior

to even arriving at the bridge.

We know that Mr.
Short was alive when

he was thrown into the lake.

What we don't know is if he
was conscious or unconscious.

But the fact he was not
gagged leads us to the belief

that he was unconscious when
he was thrown to the lake.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At 6:00 AM,

witnesses cited a dark
van stopped on the bridge.

But it sped away before they
could get a license number.

Why had Dan Short's
abductors killed

him in such a cruel manner?

It was a question
no one could answer.

But there were theories
that seemed to lead

back to the banking business.

I'm sorry.

I'm going to have
to turn you down.

DON DUNCAN: Oh, I'm certain that
there are some people out there

that had some real animosity,
some hatred towards the State

Bank of Noel and Dan Short.

He had to deny people-- had
to deny credit to people.

And the denial of credit
probably broke others.

Dan had worked in, I
think, three other banks.

Maybe something followed him
here from someplace else.

Maybe he stumbled across
something in this area

he shouldn't have--

maybe a drug deal, maybe of a--

money laundering.

There's any number of things
that could have happened

that none of us are aware of.

And that's where the
confusion comes from.

There just was no reason.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Police have few clues to go on,

but they believe the
medium blue Chevy LUV may

be vital to solving the case.

One week before the robbery,
the LUV and its driver

was sighted at a
local gas station

by the same trucker
who saw them on night

Dan Short was murdered.

Well, it was an older
model blue Chevrolet LUV,

but it had a white
toolbox in the back.

And they had the Oklahoma tags.

I looked at the tag, and I
looked back up at the guy,

you know, as he turned around.

He was just a heavy set
guy, big through the chest,

and big neck, and big
face, and lots of hair,

and lots of beard.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The LUV

was seen again four
days before the robbery

near Dan Short's house.

Dan had told his brother that
he felt he was being staked

out-- that on one
occasion his home

had actually been broken into.

Because of this, authorities
believe that Dan's killers had

planned everything in advance.

The bank robbery
may have been only

a cover up for his execution.

The robbers' amateur behavior
supports this theory.

They left behind
numerous fingerprints.

They stole heavy bags of coins.

And they fired
unnecessary shots.

[gunshots]

BOB SHORT: I want them to
find the people that did this

and to explain to me why
they had to kill my brother

over $50,000 or $60,000.

And I want to know
why that happened.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When we return,

the incredible tale of
a Loch Ness-type monster

that just might exist
in British Columbia.

Film footage shown for the
first time on television

appears to reveal
this creature that has

eluded searchers for decades.

[theme music playing]

Over the last century,
renowned scientist

and amateur investigators
had grappled with the mystery

of the Loch Ness Monster,
that elusive lake

creature in Scotland,
sighted more than 3,000 times

over the last 50
years, but never so far

adequately explained.

Some zoologists now
actually theorize

that the monster's
home, Loch Ness,

may be connected by underwater
channels to the sea,

and that the Loch Ness Monster
is in fact the sea serpent

of some kind traveling
back and forth

between the lake and the ocean.

The zoologists also theorize
that hundreds of other lakes

located in the same approximate
latitude band as Loch Ness

could have similar
connections to the sea,

and could they also be home
to mysterious sea creatures.

There have been reported
sightings of creatures

like the Loch Ness Monster
in approximately 60

other lakes around the world.

For example, here
in Lake Storsjon,

Sweden, Lake Labynkyr
in the Soviet Union,

and Lake Kussharo, Japan.

All these lakes fall into
the same latitude band

as Loch Ness in Scotland.

So far there's been no
scientific verification

for any of the sightings.

The recent photographic
evidence of a Canadian lake

in the same latitude
band suggests

the bizarre but somehow
enchanting thought

that here in North
America we may have a Loch

Ness Monster of our very own.

Lake Okanagan, located in the
Canadian province of British

Columbia, has for
more than 300 years

been the reputed
home of a water beast

which seems to
resemble a sea serpent.

The lake is 79 miles long,
and in places, 800 feet deep--

an ample home for
a large creature.

In the 1700s, local
Indians called the beast,

Naitaka, or Lake Demon.

They routinely
sacrificed small animals

in order to appease the demon.

Today, 300 years later,
the local population

still fervently believes in
the existence of the creature

which they have dubbed Ogopogo.

HORACE B. SIMPSON: I saw
it back in 1937 as we were

facing the lake at that time.

And there's this head of
something or other swimming

around out there.

And we were all convinced
that it was the Ogopogo.

Very big-- very--
it was very scary.

Oh, about two feet out of
the water, the head part,

and the head itself was brown.

And then it-- the kind of a
neck part went down the water.

And it had a great
big long tail.

Like all you could see was
just the-- just a little bit

of a hump, sort of just
coming out of the-- out

of the splashes and stuff.

And it went on for a little bit.

And like we-- we saw it.

And then we didn't
know what to do.

- And then it just went back in.
- And then it went under.

So we just got out
of there, because we

were like scared in the canoe.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Hundreds of sightings

of Ogopogo had been reported.

But no film footage was
ever captured until 1968.

That year, a saw
mill worker named

Art Folden was driving
beside the lake with his wife

when he noticed something odd.

ART FOLDEN: We were on our
way back from holidays,

and we'd seen something in
the lake near the shore.

And I said, hey, look--

just jokingly.

There's Ogopogo.

And she says, aw, it looks
like a bunch of ducks.

Anyway, I said.

I'm going to stop and see
if I can get a picture.

I stopped filming every time
it dove under the water.

And as it reappeared,
I began to film again.

Yeah, it's Ogopogo, I tell you.

The film shows a
dark object diving,

reappearing in a sequence of
moves that indicates that it's

moving out from shallow
water into deeper

water for a large dive
into deeper water,

and then did not reappear.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Because the pine trees on shore

are approximately 25
feet tall, the dark mass

in Art Folden's film is
estimated to be 40 feet long--

about the same size as a
creature in the Loch Ness

sitings.

In 1980, 12 years after
the Folden film was made,

a group of vacationers thought
they too had sited Ogopogo.

One of them, Larry Thal,
had a home movie camera.

LARRY THAL: I was taking
pictures of the kids,

and the wife, and--

bingo!

All of a sudden, the
Ogopogo-- supposedly--

whatever it may have been--
appeared on Lake Okanagan.

And I was right
there with my camera.

It was a strange sight
in the-- in the water.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Played
slow motion, the Thal film

reveals intriguing details.

ARELENE GAAL: Larry's film
shows how the animal swims.

It shows the speed and the
massive waves that it creates.

It actually shows
that it has some form

of appendage that seems to
pop up every now and then.

But the interesting
thing, again,

is that the animals
that Art Folden shot

and the animal that
Larry Thal shot,

they're basically the same size.

They're very large creatures.

And in Larry's film, we're
seeing a creature at least 40

to 60 feet from head to tail--

no doubt-- no doubt.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Nine
years later, on July 18, 1989,

78-year-old Clem Chaplain showed
his son, Ken, an inlet where

he thought he had seen Ogopogo.

The creature was going to
and from a boom of logs

at the mouth of a nearby creek.

Ken took his video camera
and staked out the area.

It paid off.

And this is the first
time his videotape had

ever been seen on television.

What Ken Chaplin taped was
a creature that appeared

to be hairless,
greenish in color,

spotted, and about
15 feet long--

less than 1/2 the size measured
in the Folden and Thal films.

KEN CHAPLIN: I was probably
75 to 100 feet away.

I saw its features very
clearly as being snake

or lizard-like-- no furry hair.

And you can see the body
thrashing behind it--

and then broaden its tail
section out of the water.

Dad and I were
stunned into silence.

And then dad turned to me.

And he said, you know,
if that tail hit a man.

It'd probably kill him.

And I agreed.

That was our
impression as to size.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Ken took his camera back

to the inlet a few days later,
along with his daughter, Corry,

and his father.

Once again, Ken
videotaped the creature.

KEN CHAPLIN: It appeared
swimming parallel

to the shore and swam right past
us at maybe 60 to 75 feet away.

And I got that on video.

And dad, and Corry, and
I saw it very clearly.

CORRY CHAPLIN: It has a
long, long snakelike body.

I estimated about the
size of a long car--

maybe 15 feet--
definitely like a snake--

its head poking straight
up, and its body swimming.

And it starts to undulate
through the water.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Ken Chaplin's

video caused a media sensation.

Time Magazine, as well
as several newspapers

in the United States,
carried the amazing story

of what appeared to be
a new Loch Ness Monster.

However, opinion
was widely divided.

And experts were called
in to analyze the video.

It was not a hoax.

There was nothing in there that
gives the impression that this

was fabricated in any way.

It was a live, living animal.

The discussion revolved around
the two species most likely.

And that is a river
otter and a beaver.

Ogopogo could exist
elsewhere in Okanagan Lake.

But in our view, this particular
video was of a beaver.

KEN CHAPLIN: You
know, the largest

recorded beaver in the
interior is 4 1/2 feet long.

Now at 75 to 100 feet
away, I just can't see dad

and I'd be-- being
very impressed.

A beaver, when it
slaps its tail,

the head is either
leveled to the water,

or else it's already
starting to go down.

Now in this sequence here,
the video that I did,

it's arking its head up
while the tail comes down.

On this side we have
a still photograph

taken from the video
recording by Mr. Chaplin.

On this side, we have
a color photograph

of a beaver with his tail
held vertically in the air

just prior to a tail slap.

The two photographs
seem for the most part

to be mirror images
of one another.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Closer
comparison to the photographs,

however, does appear to
substantiate Ken Chaplin's

point that the creature he
saw raised his head prior

to slapping its tail,
whereas a beaver's

head is at water level.

Also, Ken says the creature he
and his family saw was 15 feet

long-- not 4 like a beaver--

and had a long, snake-like body.

He also said it did not have
fur and was green in color.

I've asked myself
thousands of times,

is there a possibility
I could be mistaken?

And I just can't see
where I could be.

For those who want to call
it a beaver, I'll say, no way.

An otter?

I can't buy it.

Miniature Ogopogo?

In all probability.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Is it possible

that there are several
creatures living in the lake,

each of varying
size, all belonging

to the same unknown
zoological family?

Experts may disagree
on the Chaplin footage.

But there has still been
no adequate explanation

for the large creatures
seen surfacing

in Art Folden's film--

or clearly churning up a wake
in the Larry Thal footage.

In addition, hundreds of
other sightings over the years

attest of the
presence of something

unusual in Lake Okanagan.

I would be delighted to
find that Ogopogo really

existed in Okanagan Lake.

And I would encourage
everybody to keep their--

not only their minds
open, but their eyes open

when they're in the Okanagan.

Who knows what really
exciting wildlife

encounter that they may enjoy?

Is Ogopogo real?

Well, the Canadian
government has declared

Ogopogo an endangered species.

And hunting it is
against the law.

Most of the people who live
on the shores of Lake Okanagan

need no further proof.

For them, Ogopogo
is very real indeed.

For every mystery,
there is someone

somewhere who knows the truth.

Perhaps that someone
was watching.

Perhaps it's you.

[music playing]