All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S01E11.480p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-PLAYREADY_track3_[und]

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.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In 1970,

Clarence Roberts was found
dead in a fire, or was he?

10 years later, another
fire killed his wife.

In the rubble, Clarence Roberts
was found for the second time.

How could a man die twice?

Pretty 16-year-old Jenny
Pratt hoped to become a model

until tragically she
and her boyfriend

were viciously attacked
on a deserted road.

She was in a coma
for three months

and still has no memory of
the attack or her attackers.

In central Florida,
a clumsy robber has

successfully held up 30 banks.

The police call him "Fumbles."

He is still at large.

On a quiet Saturday morning,
Jack Quinn went to work

and calmly walked
off at $1.3 million.

He seems to have committed
the perfect crime.

Perhaps tonight, you
can help catch him.

[theme music]

For every mystery,
there is someone

somewhere who knows the truth.

Tonight, we'll tell
you how our viewers

helped capture a
Tennessee man accused

of murdering two teenage girls.

10 years ago, he fled to Canada.

After our broadcast,
he's now in custody.

Join me.

You may be able to
help solve a mystery.

[theme music]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
During the spring of 1987,

Jenny Pratt had hopes
of becoming a model.

She was pretty and popular
and in her sophomore year

at a Carlsbad,
California, high school.

But what mattered
most to Jenny was

her boyfriend, Curtis Croft.

Jenny was only 16, and she was
deeply in love with Curtis.

He drove a Porsche,
had plenty of money,

and was a good-looking
California surfer.

But Curtis' glamorous
facade had a darker side.

DIANE STROM (VOICEOVER):
I didn't really, really

know what was going on
until I'd say almost six

months into the
relationship when she said,

Mom, I have a boyfriend.

He's 17 years old.

And I said, OK, and he really
seemed like a pretty nice boy.

In fact, he really did
a good job snowing me.

He looked 17.

And further on down
the road, I found out

he had been in jail for drugs.

And he was 24 years
old, and just bad

news for a 16-year-old kid.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Against her parents' wishes,

Jenny went out with Curtis on
the night of April the 25th,

1987.

He borrowed a
friend's motorcycle

and promised Jenny
he would get her home

before her midnight curfew.

Jenny Pratt would never
arrive home that night.

Jennifer Pratt was brutally
attacked that April night

with my unusual weapon, a heavy
board, six and 1/2 feet long.

The police believed
that her assailants

may be local teenagers.

But so far no one
in that community

will speak out to identify them.

We will not know
who attacked Jenny

until someone has the courage
to step forward with the truth.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At 1:00 AM

on the night of the
incident, Jenny's parents

received a telephone call.

Their daughter had been
airlifted to a nearby hospital.

DIANE STROM
(VOICEOVER): They said,

your daughter's
been in an accident.

I So is she OK?

And they wouldn't
tell me anything.

And they said, you
have to come down.

She's in Scripps in La Jolla.

I didn't even know where it was.

GARY STROM: Neither one of
us realized why she would

be going to Scripps Hospital.

There's a hospital
five minutes away.

Oh my gosh.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Scripps Medical Center

in La Jolla, California,
is a renowned trauma

center, which takes only
the most severe cases.

Her name is Jenny Pratt.

Can we see her?

No, you can't
see her right now.

The doctor's with her.

Is she OK?

I was asking a
million questions.

But I wasn't
getting any answers.

Finally, the nurse
said, the doctor

would like to talk to us.

And he took us off into
kind of a waiting room.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
doctor told Jenny's parents

the worst possible news.

Your daughter is brain-dead.

And we don't expect her to
live but two more hours.

Jenny had received
a very serious injury

at the scene of the accident.

The blow from the
board that struck her

was great enough to
actually crush the skull.

And that caused immediate
shutdown of her brain.

DIANE STROM: And then
they said I could see her.

And what I saw was horrible.

Her hair was red
from all the blood.

She was bleeding out of her
nose, her ears, her mouth.

And she had tubes all over her.

It was like her whole
body was just distorted.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Miraculously, Jenny Pratt

survived.

But she lapsed into a deep coma.

Our first involvement
in the case was to examine

the evidence that was
found at the crime scene,

which consisted of the
two-by-four that was

used to hit Jenny and Curtis.

We examined that for
physical evidence

and didn't find
any fingerprints.

There was some
blood stains on it,

which were photographed and
were determined to be Jenny's.

Curtis was interviewed
that same day

at the Carlsbad Police Station.

His account of what
happened basically

is that he was giving
Jennifer a ride home.

They were driving down
Rancho Santa Fe Road, getting

ready to make a left turn.

I was just like going to
approach that intersection,

going pretty slow.

And all of a sudden,
something struck me.

I just go, ow, what was that?

It's like, it kind
of hurt really bad.

And then the car, the
car went zooming by.

And I went back, I turned
around to tell Jenny,

I go someone threw something
at me or something.

I don't know what happened.
Something hit me.

I was like, you know, I
couldn't believe I got hurt.

And she was out of it.

And so I just go, oh my
god, what's happening.

We believed it
was a case where

a carload or a
truckload of juveniles

had committed this crime.

Curtis was giving
Jennifer a ride home.

They had almost come
to a complete stop

when he realized that he'd
been struck by a board

and realized that Jenny
had been struck by a board

and had slumped against him.

At the same time, the white
pickup truck went by them

at a high rate of speed.

He had the impression that there
was a large group of juveniles

in the back of the
pickup truck, that they

were laughing as they went by.

And his impression was
that the board came

flying from the pickup truck.

Quite frankly, we expected it
to be a crime that would have

been solved just by
the nature of juveniles

have a tendency to talk.

We felt it was very possible
that in a short period of time,

we would have identified
who the suspects were.

But to this date, we have
yet to have anybody come up

and supply us with
any direct knowledge

of what happened that night.

I understand
you're a friend of--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Jenny's parents

hired private investigator
Louis Crisafi.

He interviewed students
at Jenny's high school.

Basically all I can tell you
is at that night that happened,

it was not aimed at Jenny.

It was aimed for Curtis.

And nobody really
knows who did it.

I have a feeling
I know who did it.

But no one's really
willing to say.

There's no doubt
that there were

people because of
Curtis' background that

didn't like him.

He was not a popular person.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
1985, Curtis Croft had been

convicted for dealing cocaine.

After cooperating with
police investigators,

he served less than
half of his sentence.

SGT. JIM BYLER: He developed
the reputation as a snitch

when he got himself in trouble.

And young people, particularly
young people involved in drugs,

tend to look down on somebody
who develops that reputation.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Police investigated

a number of people who might
have wanted to hurt Curtis.

[knocking]

Hey, get out here.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
They learned that Curtis

had confronted one of
his enemies on the night

before the assault.

CURTIS: You stole some
stuff from my apartment

the other night.

I didn't steal anything
from your apartment.

CURTIS: Yeah, you did.

You know exactly what
I'm talking about, too.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Jenny's parents

believe that the boy
might have attacked

Curtis and Jenny because of
Curtis' threats against him.

CURTIS: I'll go to the cops
if I have to to get to you.

Good.
I'll talk to them, too.

Yeah, you're busted, man.

- No, I don't think so.
- Yeah, you are.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The police investigation

was stopped cold
when Curtis claimed

he could not identify
the perpetrators

on the night of the incident.

He said the white pickup truck
was traveling at 55 miles,

too fast for him to get a
look at Jenny's assailants.

Louis Crisafi did
not believe Curtis.

He attempted to
reconstruct the incident

at two different speeds.

LOUIS CRISAFI (VOICEOVER): And
we used the identical pickups,

as far as the model
year and the size

and the same type
of motorcycle and we

used the same conditions.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The first reconstruction

was done at 50 miles an hour.

At that speed, it
seems almost certain

that both Curtis and Jenny
would have been killed.

They were traveling
exactly at 50.

There is no way it
could have happened

the way he said it did.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Moreover,

in this reconstruction, the
board fell about 50 feet

from the scene of the crime,
when in reality, police

had found it only a
few feet from the spot

where Jenny had been attacked.

The second
reconstruction, played out

at only 10 miles
an hour, inflicted

injuries very similar to
the ones Curtis and Jenny

actually received.

LOUIS CRISAFI: This is a
perfect depiction of exactly--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
And this time, the board fell

right next to the motorcycle.

LOUIS CRISAFI: The
board wound up almost

identical to where it was.

We had reason to
believe that Curtis was

not telling the whole truth.

We went back to Curtis'
apartment and visited with him.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Crisafi

felt that Curtis had seen the
people in the pickup truck,

and he confronted him.

Were you in a fight that
evening in the restaurant?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Finally, Curtis did name names.

One of them was the same boy
he had fought with on the night

before the attack.

Well, they forced
me to tell it,

like, it's like threatening
someone, you know.

And they scared me into saying
that, and that wasn't right.

OK, Curtis, you've
made some new statements

to a private investigator.

And I want to hear what
those statements were.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Later on, Curtis recanted,

telling police he
had given them names

because he felt pressured.

I was a little nervous.

The truck went by really fast,
and the people try to say,

oh, maybe you saw someone.

But I really didn't.

And we've done lying
detector tests on me.

I've passed
everything, you know.

I've told the truth.

I've always been there to help.

I've never, you know,
not came around.

I've always came to
everything he wanted me to do

and cooperated with everything.

We do believe that Curtis
did, in fact, see those people.

Curtis continuously told us that
he has been threatened, that he

has basically informed
on people before

and was very, very frightened
that he would be killed.

And he was already
being threatened

not to talk in this case.

And we have reason to
believe that what he's

saying to that effect is true.

You know, the real mystery
is it seems like the second we

find somebody that's willing to
come forward and say something,

somebody gets to them.

And they either disappear
or they don't know anything.

I honestly believe people
have been paid off, threatened,

and if anybody does
try to come forward,

the next day they
don't want to do it.

You know, people's mind
don't change that fast.

Hi, Jen, it's Mommy.

How are you doing?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Three months after the attack,

Jenny Pratt came
out of her coma.

At first, she seemed incapable
of thought or action.

But after 12 weeks, she
started physical therapy.

This time, we're going
to take a step off--

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Seven months

later, Jenny began to speak.

A year later, she walked.

It feels spaghetti.

OK, spaghetti?

Jen, I want you to try to
take a step with this leg.

Keep the whole
foot on the ground.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Although Jenny's progress

has been miraculous, her
brain damage is severe.

And tragically, it is
probably irreversible.

I don't think it's
possible that those events

were stored in her memory.

I don't think there's any
way they can be recalled.

I think there's a
strong likelihood

that she could be told things
that she would then repeat.

But to remember those actual
events is virtually impossible.

I've been wondering
back about why

somebody was trying to kill me.

And why was somebody mad at me?

And what did I do to
them to hurt them?

LOUIS CRISAFI: We need somebody
in the community with half

the courage of Jennifer Pratt,
somebody who just knows the one

missing link, the one thing
that'll tie this whole case

together because I really
think that's all we're missing

is that one small link.

And someone out there has it.

We've emphasized repeatedly
over the last year, year

and a half, that we're primarily
interested in finding who

threw the board that hit Jenny.

If there is a group of
other people in the truck,

they can come forward
without fear of prosecution.

DIANE STROM: I see
a lot of hard work,

needless work that had to be
done because some fool did this

to her.

A brain injury, you live with
that for the rest of your life.

And I sometimes wonder
if it is living really.

I'll always love Jenny, but
I sure miss the old Jenny.

If anybody in this state
could tell me who hurted me,

I would appreciate
that very badly.

Because you don't know how bad
I would appreciate the feeling

that somebody does
love me, and somebody

really does care about me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Last
October, we examined the case

of Joe Shepherd, wanted by
the FBI and Tennessee police

for the murders of 14-year-old
Kathy Clowers and 16-year-old

Roxanne Woodson.

Police allege that
in both cases,

Shepherd brutally
murdered his victims

and then buried their
bodies in shallow graves.

In 1978, Joe Shepherd
was officially

charged with the two murders.

On July 17 of that
same year while

awaiting trial in the
Bradley County Jail,

Joe Shepherd and two
other inmates escaped.

Although his two
accomplices were

recaptured the following week,
Joe Shepherd was never found.

Update, London, Ontario,
Canada, a 10-year search

for Joe Shepherd has ended.

After the "Unsolved
Mysteries" show on October 5th,

we received a phone call
from a local resident,

saying that he
believed the guy called

Shepherd was, in
fact, living in London

under the name Joseph Tripp.

We began an investigation.

And when we had identified
him to our satisfaction

as Shepherd, he was arrested.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At the time of his arrest,

Shepherd was living in a
government housing project

in London, Ontario,
with his common law

wife and their two children.

It seems apparent that Mr.
Shepherd was in London, Canada,

just within a matter
of days after he

escaped from Bradley County.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Shepherd

is currently in custody
on an immigration warrant,

and is awaiting deportation
back to the United States.

However, the US-Canadian
Extradition Treaty stipulates

that he cannot be returned
to a state that plans

to invoke the death penalty.

JERRY ESTES: Now I can tell
you that it is my intention

to seek the death
penalty on Mr. Shepherd,

unless it would
prevent his extradition

to the state of Tennessee.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Shepherd also faces

seven other charges,
including rape,

aggravated assault
against a police officer,

and escape from jail.

Next, the story of Jack
Quinn, trusted vice

president of a security firm.

He stole $1,300,000
in untraceable cash.

[theme music]

One Saturday morning,
Jack Quinn calmly

walked off the job with
$1,315,000 in untraceable cash.

He still remains at large.

Jack Quinn was vice
president and general manager

of federal protection services,
a company that provided

security and armed
guards to banks

and other financial
institutions.

Every day, this company handled
millions of dollars in cash,

and Quinn oversaw the
firm's security operation.

At 8:00 AM on Saturday,
April 9, 1988, Jack Quinn

arrived at his office.

Few people were at
Federal's office

that day, though a
supervisor Harry Goldberg

was working that morning.

Morning, Harry.

Morning, Jack.

I'm going to take
care of the morning run.

HARRY GOLDBERG: OK.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): While Harry

continued to work at his
desk, Quinn was busy, too.

But he kept his
business to himself.

From time to time,
Harry Goldberg

would see Quinn in the vault,
but he noticed nothing unusual.

HARRY GOLDBERG: I've
walked down the hall

several times to pick
up coffee or whatever.

And every time I'd go past
that window, I'd look in,

see him sitting at the
desk, just as calm, cool,

and collected as you'd
ever want to see him.

I never suspected he would
be doing something like that.

I don't even know
how he had the time.

It would take him 20 minutes to
pack up the money, loose money.

If it was loose and some
bags, it would take him

maybe a half-hour, 45 minutes.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Somehow without being detected,

Quinn spent much of the
morning in the vault,

transferring the money
from bags to boxes.

Outside, Quinn put the
money into the trunk

of his company car.

Quinn also put $107,000 into
the trunk of his personal car.

He then asked Harry
Goldberg to follow him home.

When he arrived, Quinn
dropped off his car

and said goodbye to his wife.

What's up?

Nothing, I have to
get back to the office.

I'll be about a half-hour or so.

OK?
- Sure.

See you.

Bye-bye.

Bye.

JACK QUINN: How's
this car doing?

Not too bad.
It could be better.

What do you mean
it could be better?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Harry Goldberg

drove Quinn back to the office.

Quinn got into the company car
that now held over $1 million

and headed to the airport.

Police speculate that
he had transferred

the money into suitcases.

When he arrived at the
airport, he unloaded his car

and vanished.

JAMES CAVANAUGH (VOICEOVER): The
trail for Quinn stops at Palm

Beach International Airport.

The ticket in the car indicates
it was left there at 5:36

PM on the night of the ninth.

From that point, we have no
idea where Mr. Quinn has gone.

Indications are he
did not take a plane.

He did not rent a car.

And he did not take a cab.

Look, Jack dropped the car
keys off to me a while ago,

and he said he'd be
back in half an hour.

And that was five hours ago.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When her husband

failed to come home, Quinn's
wife called his office.

They had no idea where he
was or what he had done.

The next morning,
she found $107,000

in the trunk of their car.

She turned it into the police.

She also found a letter
that read in part,

"I have done
something very wrong,

and I can't stay and
face the consequences."

The moneys that
Quinn left Federal

Protection Service with that
Saturday night are untraceable.

There are no prerecorded
serial numbers.

There are no bait bills.

The monies are of a
varied denomination

and basically could
never be traced to him.

Since the
investigation began, it

appears that Quinn may have
been involved in several what we

call defalcations,
missing money,

mysterious disappearances
from the company prior

to this culminating incident.

There was an incident
approximately a month

prior to his leaving, where his
wife had found a wad of money

in the vehicle, his
personal vehicle,

and it was unexplained.

Whenever the wife
would find money, be it

in the car, in the
house and so forth,

Quinn would explain it away as
he had sold something, a gun,

a car, it's old property
and that would explain

his acclimation of money.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Quinn was known

to appreciate the good life.

He rented a 10-acre horse ranch.

Friends wondered
how he could afford

this extravagant lifestyle
on his $35,000 a year income.

CARL FULGENZI: Several
weeks prior to this theft,

we learned that the IRS was
after Jack Quinn to settle

a substantial amount of money.

Jack did not have the money.

It's quite obvious to me that
the reason he pulled this job

is because he had no other
way of satisfying the IRS,

and he was going to lose
everything or possibly

go to jail.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): There were

reports that Quinn had been
conducting an ongoing affair.

A month prior to
the theft, Quinn

would leave home at 5:00 AM, yet
not arrive at work until 9:30.

Police speculate he used the
time to see his girlfriend.

They also speculate that they
may have run away together.

Whatever the reasons
for his disappearance,

today Jack Quinn
is a wanted man.

He is 48 years of age.

He is stocky with a
tendency to put on weight.

He has thinning brown
hair, brown eyes,

and is fluent in Spanish.

Next, the story of two
fires in a tiny Indiana town

called Nashville.

They happened 10
years apart, yet

the body of Clarence
Roberts seems

to have been found both times.

Some people in Nashville
believe he is still alive.

[theme music]

Nashville, Indiana,
population 700.

Located in the
American heartland,

Nashville is like
a Norman Rockwell

painting brought to life.

Here, everyone
knows one another,

so there are few street
addresses and fewer secrets.

Nashville is a community in
the best sense of the word.

Two of Nashville's most
illustrious citizens

were Clarence and
Geneva Roberts.

But in the fall of
1970, the couple

became embroiled in a
firestorm of controversy,

betrayal, and murder.

On the night of
November 18, 1970,

a fire raged out of
control behind the Roberts'

fashionable home.

And when the ashes
had cooled, a body

was discovered and identified
as Clarence Roberts.

10 Years later,
another fire blazed.

Two more bodies were discovered.

One was Geneva Roberts,
and the other was again

identified as Clarence Roberts.

But how could a man die twice?

Today the people of
Nashville still wonder what

happened to Clarence Roberts.

I talked to both detectives
that was on the second fire.

And from what they told me, I'd
say it was definitely Clarence.

I still think Clarence
died in the first fire.

I don't think Clarence Roberts
died in the second fire.

I just don't believe that.

I think Clarence
is still alive.

I sure do.

The mystery of
Clarence Roberts death

still haunts those who knew him.

In the 1960s, he embodied
the American dream.

A former sheriff, a board member
of the Nashville State Bank,

he seemed to have it all.

But something went
wrong for Clarence.

His dreams became twisted
into a nightmarish saga

that has gone on for 18 years
and still continues today.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In the 1960s,

Clarence owned a
prosperous hardware store

along with his brother Carson.

Clarence was well-respected,
everyone's friend.

CARSON ROBERTS: He and I worked
together for about 22 years.

Clarence always seemed
to be pretty happy.

He enjoyed working.

Clarence was outgoing.

He was friendly, always
made friends with people,

and always got
along with people.

Well, I'll tell you what.

You probably want to use one
of these for the shelving.

And I've got some good
[inaudible] in the back.

Clarence worked hard.

He put a lot of hours
in when he was younger.

Clarence, uh, he
would help anyone.

He would help you or anybody
if he thought you was in need.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Clarence and Geneva

had been married since 1941.

Geneva came from a poor family.

But together, she and Clarence
rose in Nashville society.

With four sons and a
successful family business,

the Roberts seemed to
be the perfect couple.

He soon reached the 33rd
degree of the Masons,

a rank commemorated by this
ring, which he wore proudly.

Clarence's appetite for the
good life began to consume him.

He purchased three
luxury cars and an

expensive and fashionable home.

But behind this facade of
wealth were heavy debts.

MRS. ROBERTS: Clarence
changed a lot, he really did.

I really can't describe
how different he would be.

It's like, um, turning a light
on and turning a light off.

That was Clarence who
turned the light off.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): To finance

his extravagant lifestyle,
Clarence sold his hardware

business and gambled
everything on two property

investments, an
apartment building

and several grain elevators.

These investments failed.

And by the fall of
1970, Clarence Roberts

knew he was in serious trouble.

MRS. ROBERTS: For all the
money that he was losing,

everything going down the drain,
he was going for a millionaire

or broke.

And he was ending up broke.

He was trying to pull out of it.

CLARENCE ROBERTS: Yeah,
Warren, I can see that you've

come after the cars.

Or go the guys, getting ready
to jump in and drive them away.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In October, 1970,

one month before the first
fire, Clarence and Geneva

stood by as Sheriff
Warren Roberts,

Clarence's own brother,
repossessed two

of his vehicles.

CLARENCE ROBERTS: Thanks a lot.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Clarence and Geneva were

left desolate and desperate.

BOB WHITE: He wasn't the
Clarence that I had always

been used to being around.

He was down.

He was really depressed, and
I feel that he was suicidal.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At 6:20 PM

on the night of
November 18, 1970,

firemen arrived to
find the garage barn

of the Robert's home ablaze.

FIREFIGHTER: Over
there, over there.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The heat

was so intense that they stood
helplessly by as the structure

burned to the ground.

When the fire had cooled,
they made a grisly discovery.

FIREFIGHTER: Chief,
come back here.

I think we got a body.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A body burned

beyond recognition laid
beneath the rubble,

a half-melted
shotgun by its side.

The body was so badly burned,
it was difficult to identify

it as human.

Jack Bond, the county
coroner, feared

that Clarence Roberts had
finally paid his debts

by taking his own life.

JACK BOND: When we
found the body, why

we thought he'd shot himself.

There wasn't much
doubt in our minds

that he just got too many
worries ahead of him,

and he committed suicide.

So when we got back down
to the funeral home,

why we started
looking for shots,

and we couldn't find any.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The police

wondered how Clarence's suicide
could have been accomplished

without a gunshot wound.

Detective Don Kuster
sifted through the debris.

Hidden in the ashes, he found
Clarence's Masonic ring.

Despite the intense heat,
it was virtually undamaged.

DET.

SGT. DON KUSTER: The
ring, when it was found,

was in excellent shape.

The ring definitely
had no damage as far

as melting or anything on it.

There's no way that ring
could have withstood

the heat of that fire like
it did and not even have

a damaged part on it at all

I definitely think
the ring was a plant.

It just, it had to be.

It had to be.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): This
was only the first of a series

of unusual discoveries.

Investigators learned that
only months before the fire,

Clarence had purchased several
insurance policies on his life,

totaling close to $1 million.

In addition, a test showed that
the body found in the blaze

had type AB blood.

Clarence's blood
type was B. If it

wasn't the body of
Clarence Roberts,

then who died in the fire?

Two days before the blaze,
Clarence was spotted in a bar

in the nearby community
of Morgantown,

befriending a vagrant.

DET.

SGT. DON KUSTER: He'd been seen
on the 17th of November, 1970,

and from the witness, he
was described as about 5' 7"

to 5' 9".

And he was about the
same age as Clarence.

And Clarence was with him,
but he didn't know his name.

I've got some
grass needs cutting,

a little brush needs
trimming out at the house.

Would you be interested?

Yeah.

CLARENCE ROBERTS:
Well, get in the car.

And we'll go up-- come on.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
As they were leaving,

the man collapsed from
some unknown cause.

DET.

SGT. DON KUSTER: Clarence said
he'd take him to the hospital.

And Clarence left with him.

And later on, I
checked the hospitals

within a 300-mile
radius and this man

was not admitted to a hospital.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Two
theories divided Nashville.

One that Clarence
had killed himself,

and second that he murdered
the vagrant in order

to collect the insurance money.

It is even claimed he
watched from the woods

as the flames destroyed
the evidence of his crime.

BOB WHITE: Suicidal, yes.

But to commit murder, no way.

I can't believe he could
have any part of that.

It must be hard, be beyond
my wildest imagination

to think that Clarence Roberts
could ever have been involved

with anything like that.

Definitely, definitely
he was capable of it.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Clarence

was either dead or missing.

And Geneva Roberts
was left alone.

Her fortune changing
dramatically

from riches back to rags.

She was forced to move
to the outskirts of town.

And her claims to the insurance
money were repeatedly denied.

Geneva was not alone in
maintaining that Clarence

had died in the first fire.

John Pless, a prominent
pathologist, agreed with her.

DR. JOHN PLESS: It wasn't until
1978 that the attorneys came

to me to review the
reports of the experts

who'd examined the evidence.

And in the process, I was able
to prove to myself and to a lot

of other people that the body
that was found in that garage

was Clarence.

And I testified at the
time of the civil trial

against the insurance
companies that I

felt it was highly probable
that it was Clarence Roberts.

Mrs. Roberts, you
have lost your case

against the insurance company.

You have only the
recourse of an appeal.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Despite Dr. Pless' testimony,

Geneva lost all of her appeals.

DR. JOHN PLESS: The
people that I was involved

with in that trial were
decimated emotionally

by the judge's ruling.

I couldn't realize why the judge
had made the ruling he had.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
These denials

took their toll on Geneva.

Withdrawing from her
friends and neighbors,

she became the subject
of local gossip.

In order to make
ends meet, Geneva

had to take a job in the
kitchen of a local restaurant.

Then the rumors began.

Local shopkeepers said that they
had sold her large quantities

of beer, surprising, considering
Geneva was a diabetic

and seldom drank beer.

Some said Geneva was
not alone, and neighbors

began to report seeing
someone on the grounds

of Geneva's home.

We had developed information
that a man had been

seen behind Geneva's residence.

The man acted very
strangely and never

let anyone get close to him.

And he always seemed
to duck away from them

and head back toward
the house immediately.

Myself and some other officers
set up a surveillance.

We were down there
for approximately

three days and three nights.

We were photographing
everyone coming and going

in and around Geneva's house.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
They saw nothing,

but they knew who
they were looking for.

DET.

DAVE ANDERSON: I'm sure
that was probably Clarence.

I think he had perhaps run
out of places to go, you know.

And he had come back
to staying with Geneva.

He was the mysterious man that
was seen behind her house.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A
local reporter, Helen Ayers,

had grown friendly with Geneva.

She felt that Geneva was
hiding something or someone.

HELEN AYERS: I stopped at her
house probably four or five

different times.

And she always met
me at the back porch

and would never invite me in.

And most people do.

I mean, around here, it's
just a matter of courtesy

to ask you to step inside.

But she never did that.

And it kind of made
me suspect there

might be a man living in there.

[greetings]

I interviewed Clarence's sister,
who lived in the adjacent yard

there.

And she said that she could
hear Geneva talking to this man.

And she said it definitely
was not Clarence's voice.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Nobody knows

for certain what Geneva Roberts
was trying to hide or whom.

Her reclusive life went on
uneventfully until the night

of November 18, 1980.

[sound of flames crackling]

[sirens]

DET.

DAVE ANDERSON: When my
office called and explained

that it was Geneva's
house on fire,

and that they thought Geneva
was still inside the house,

I went right to the fire scene.

And the fire was still burning
very intensely at that time.

After the fire was extinguished,
why, we just stayed behind

and I'm not even sure why.

I just wanted to look further,
as did, I'm sure, the firemen.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Sifting

through the ashes,
searchers found

the body of Geneva Roberts.

Hours later, they made
another shocking discovery.

DET.

DAVE ANDERSON:
Geneva's body had been

removed to the funeral home, and
the fire had been extinguished.

The house was
totally demolished.

So we'd gone through the
rubble, and a fireman

had located a second body in
another part of the house.

And I was just so certain that
it would be that of Clarence.

DR. JOHN PLESS: I
didn't even have

to have the comparison films.

I knew the bony configuration
of Clarence Roberts

so well that I recognized him
immediately by his chest X-ray.

Now I knew that I was going
to have a difficult time

to tell all my friends
and neighbors in the world

that Clarence was dead
for the second time.

It just, um, turned
out to be Clarence.

And I was very pleased
with that, that this

might be coming to an end.

Little did I know that
it was just starting.

This was definitely a set
fire caused by an accelerant.

It looks like someone
just came in the back door

and poured all the
way around the walls.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The second fire

was a clear-cut case of arson.

DET.

DAVE ANDERSON: We could
follow very clearly

these burn patterns
from Geneva's bed

into the adjacent room
where Clarence's body was

located and then down a
hallway and out the back door

of that house.

So we determined right
there that at least

Geneva had been murdered.

We're sure that turpentine
was used to ignite this fire.

We know that.

We simply don't
know who started it,

whether it was Clarence
that started the fire

or that of a third party.

I subscribe to the
theory of a third party.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Investigators have no clue

as to who set the second fire.

But they believe they have
identified the victim.

DET.

DAVE ANDERSON:
Oh, I'm absolutely

convinced that
the second victim,

the victim in the second fire,
is that of Clarence Roberts.

There's just no
doubt in my mind.

There's not a doubt
in my mind at all.

I still would like to know
who the second body was.

Because I still can't
believe it's Clarence.

The pathologist says it is.

But I still don't,
me personally, I

don't believe that the
second fire was Clarence.

I'm absolutely convinced
that Clarence Roberts died

in the second fire,
and that some person,

possibly a derelict,
died in the first fire.

And when I say absolutely,
I mean that this is not only

a reasonable medical
certainty, but would

be beyond a shadow of a doubt.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Today in this small cemetery,

the mystery of Clarence
Roberts lies buried,

still defying explanation
after almost 20 years.

Who was the man
in the first fire?

Who set the second fire and why?

Who was the mysterious
figure seen at Geneva's home,

and why did she
hide his identity?

And the key question,
where's Clarence Roberts?

Is he in this grave?

Some family members
are doubtful,

and they protested when this
headstone was put in place.

Whoever it is that rests
beneath this Midwestern Earth

will never tell his tale.

Next, a Florida
bank robber who has

successfully robbed 30 banks.

The police call him "Fumbles."

You'll see why in a moment.

[theme music]

Since July 12, 1984,
a robber wearing gloves

and a baseball cap has
held up nearly 30 banks

throughout Florida.

But as we will see,
this felon has succeeded

almost in spite of himself.

But the authorities
know him as "Fumbles."

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): This robber

hits small suburban
banks, usually

in outdoor shopping malls.

Besides a cap and gloves, he has
another distinctive trademark.

LARRY CURTIN: He was given the
nickname early on of "Fumbles"

because in the first
robbery, when he came in,

he got inside the bank, drew
the weapon, held it in his hand,

and proceeded to trip and fall.

The gun went out of his hand.

And he had to kind
of scrabble and pick

it back up, at
which time he then

proceeded with the robbery.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In a second robbery,

"Fumbles" even had trouble
keeping his mask in place.

LARRY CURTIN: Approximately
a month later, he

dropped some of the money
on the way out of the bank,

had to stop, pick
it up, and then

proceed with his getaway plans.

This is a robbery.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The police

admit to a certain
amount of amusement

at their adversary's clumsiness.

His 30 armed robberies
are no laughing matter.

DONNA ROSE: I think I
was rather in shock.

I had never been robbed before.
- Hurry up.

DONNA ROSE: I did think
about my children.

Who's going to raise my
children because they

were very young at the time.

About two nights later, in bed
in the middle of the night,

and I was lying there alone,
and my two children were,

one was in a crib and one was in
her bed, I thought, oh my god.

TELLER: He pulled a gun, walked
up to me, put it in my face,

and said, don't do
anything stupid.

Don't do anything stupid.

TELLER: He put a paper
sack on the counter,

told me to put the money in it.

I put all the money in
it, gave it back to him.

He turned around and
walked out the door.

I was mad, and then I was
scared because I realized

that he could have hurt me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Update, the "Fumbles"

robber has been captured.

Within minutes of our broadcast,
a Clearwater, Florida, police

department received a call
from one of our viewers

who recognized
"Fumbles" as Ross James

Preston, a 23-year-old
student living in Clearwater.

On May 24, 1989, FBI agents,
Clearwater police officers,

and Pinellas County
Sheriff's deputies

arrested Preston while he was
test driving a pickup truck.

A search by warrant was made
of the vehicle Mr. Preston was

driving when he was arrested.

Inside the vehicle were found
a ball cap with the letters

CAT on the cap.

Also found were a pair of
gardening gloves and a pair

of sunglasses and a jacket.

These were very
similar to items which

were observed being
worn by the bank

robber we called "Fumbles."

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On August 2nd,

Ross James Preston
admitted to committing

33 armed bank robberies.

But as part of a plea bargain,
he was charged with only seven

of the hold-ups.

He has since been sentenced
to 25 years in prison.

For every mystery,
there is someone

somewhere who knows the truth.

Perhaps that
someone is watching.

Perhaps it's you.

[theme music]