All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S01E12.480p.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): Tonight

on "Unsolved Mysteries,"
in Los Angeles,

22-year-old Matthew Chase
made a midnight trip

to an automated teller machine.

Matthew has not been seen since.

The hidden bank camera
showed Matthew next

to a mysterious figure.

On Valentine's Day in 1986, a
Houston housewife was murdered.

Her husband was a suspect.

He steadfastly
maintains his innocence.

His alibi is airtight, or is it?

Dolores Valadez has
no parents, no past.

She wants to find the
mother she never knew

and answer a question that
has haunted her entire life.

Where is her real family?

[theme music]

We also tell you the touching
story of a refugee family

immigrating to America.

During World War II, they
fled their home in Hungary

and were forced to live
in a boxcar, barely

surviving in war-torn Europe.

43 years later,
they're trying to find

a mysterious American soldier
who one memorable Christmas

changed their lives forever.

Join me.

You may be able to
help solve a mystery.

[theme music]

During the Christmas season 43
years ago, a Hungarian family

who'd escaped from the ravages
of the Second World War

met an American
GI named Philippe.

This refugee family was living
a hand-to-mouth existence

in an abandoned train
in rural Austria.

The kindly soldier offered
them friendship when they had

few friends, food when
there was often hunger,

and faith when despair
seemed insurmountable.

With Philippe's help, the
family survived their ordeal.

They now live in America.

And they want to reunite
with their benefactor

so they can thank
him for a Christmas

that changed their lives.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): May,
1945, as Hitler's Third Reich

crumbled, refugees from Eastern
Europe choked the highways

and rural roads, some
escaping the Nazis, others

the vengeful Russian army.

Carl Dentai and his family
fled from Budapest in Hungary,

one step away from the
guns of the Red Army.

CARL DENTAI: The Russian army,
just a few miles behind us,

so I have only one
thing in my mind,

just to get the family
with me out from there.

You know, it's a very strange
feeling when you leave

a country when you was born.

But thousand, thousand
family was leaving,

just leave everything
behind, just running away.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
After their perilous journey,

the Dentais and
other refugees found

temporary sanctuary
in Austria in a town

occupied by the Americans.

As a fall turned to an
extremely cold winter,

a family was forced to
live inside a boxcar.

Despite their hardship,
Carl and his wife,

Teresia, managed to
survive and provide

a shelter for their
five-year-old daughter

Brigitta.

CARL DENTAI: The winter
coming, we have a tough time

to get food.

We have no clothing.

We have no other place to go.

One thing I was very happy, my
family never once complained.

My wife never complained.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): A few days

before Christmas, an American
soldier named Philippe came

to meet Brigitta's parents.

He had met their daughter
at her American-run school.

Somehow managing to surmount
the language barrier,

Philippe asked if Brigitta
would come as his guest

to a Christmas party given
for the refugee children

by the American
Occupation Force.

I want to take Brigitta
to a Christmas party.

Christmas, ho, ho, ho, ho.

Christmas.

PHILIPPE: Santa Claus, right.

CARL DENTAI: Brigitta?

PHILIPPE: Yeah.

Yes.

PHILIPPE: Yes?

Yes, Christmas, yes.

PHILIPPE: She'll have fun.

Thank you.

PHILIPPE: OK, see you later, OK.

Bye.

Brigitta, woo.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): When Carl

was able to scavenge
some material,

Teresia made a party
outfit for their daughter.

CARL DENTAI: She
never experienced

any Christmas party before.

And after living already so long
in that little freight car, no,

no candy, no sugar,
no hardly anything,

you know, hardly any food, so
this was a big gift for us,

to knowing how
happy she will be.

And she was happy.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Over 40 years

have passed since that
night, but to Brigitta,

it seems like only yesterday.

BRIGITTA: He looked very, very
handsome, like Prince Charming.

And I remember that shiny
US button on his lapel.

Philippe made me feel
very, very special.

Aside of making me
feel safe and happy,

he made me feel like a big girl.

I felt like a princess.

It's like someone
opened a magic door.

There was lights and music
and a very happy atmosphere.

It was like the lights went on.

I remember the food
was very, very fancy.

I had not seen anything
like it probably ever.

I felt like I was in a dream.

I never wanted the dream to end.

CARL DENTAI: It probably
changing her life,

a little happiness gave us
back a lot of confidence

of the human race.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Oh, what a big package.

You're back.
Open it.

CARL DENTAI: When they're coming
back from the Christmas party,

we had just like a
little celebration.

Brigitta started
opening her present.

We were very happy to see
our daughter so happy.

We met somebody very nice.

It was a nice Christmas
for all of us.

After the war started, it
was the first Christmas

we ever had a happy time with
somebody because of Philippe.

It's a memory you'll
never forget it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
That evening, Philippe

and the Dentais discovered
that though they

didn't share a language,
they shared a friendship.

[indistinct conversation]

CARL DENTAI: We had a difficult
time to communicate but he

was so friendly, you know.

We had a lot of laughing,
a lot of good time.

We was happy that night.

We never expected
him to coming back.

We thought so Christmas
party over and you know,

we have a beautiful memory.

That's the end of it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But Philippe did come back.

He became a real-life
Santa Claus,

giving the children candies
and the parents food

and other necessities
that helped

the family endure the
many hardships of life

without a homeland.

[indistinct conversation]

But one day, their
friendship came to an end.

PHILIPPE: I came to
tell you I'm leaving.

Soon?

PHILIPPE: Yes, tonight.

I want you to have
this to remember me by.

Thank you.

PHILIPPE: Bye.

CARL DENTAI: One
afternoon, Philippe

show up and told us his troop
is transferred to France.

He's very sorry
he have to leave.

He give us his photograph,
give us his address.

Bye.

CARL DENTAI: I was
wondering, we're

going to ever see him again?

It was just like you
leave part of the family.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
It took 11 years of struggle

and hardship for the
Dentais to finally

make their way to America.

Though Teresia passed
away a few years ago,

Carl and Brigitta
currently live in Michigan.

Unfortunately, during the
family's flight across Europe,

they lost most of
their possessions,

including Phillip's address.

All they have to remember
him by is this picture.

Based on the appearance
of Philippe's uniform,

military experts believe
he was a private.

Philippe also told
Carl and Brigitta

that he was from Maine.

These may be important clues
as to Philippe's whereabouts.

Within an hour
of our broadcast,

Mrs. Paulie Doftie
of Augusta, Maine,

called our 800 number
to say that the man

named Philippe in our story was
her cousin Philippe Pelletier.

He's a retired postal worker
who lives in Hammond, Indiana.

We immediately called
Carl and Brigitta Dentai

and helped to arrange a reunion.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): On
Wednesday, December 28, 1988,

Carl and Brigitta's
30-year search for Philippe

came to an emotional end.

[knocking]

Brigit?
BRIGITTA: Yes.

Philippe?

Oh, yes, ah.

Hi.

Oh, I can't believe it.

[interposing voices]

Hi, you must be Celia.

I feel like I
know who you are.

Nice to see you.

PHILIPPE: Well, it's really
pretty hard to tell you just

how I feel after so many
years and trying to recollect

everything that we went
through together, you know,

it's very hard.

It's very exciting.

It's almost unbelievable.

Oh my gosh.

Nice to see you.

It's something like
a Christmas miracle.

Because when he
left, I was thinking,

well, did I ever see him again.

And here we go after 43
years be back together

again, that's just like a dream
came true, hard to believe it.

Sometimes I had that feeling
I'm going to wake up.

PHILIPPE: Because you were
five, right, at the time

at the Christmas party?

BRIGITTA: Right.

The minute that I saw him,
I could see the warmth

and the happy look
on his face, smiling,

and like we really never
had lost touch in a way.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Carl, Brigitta, and Philippe

spent the afternoon
looking through photographs

that brought back memories
of that special time they

spent together.

CARL DENTAI: We're
going to stay in touch.

We're going to try to visit
each other as much as possible.

We're going to renew
the friendship,

what we had before, you know.

That's a friendship forever.

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

who went to get some cash at
midnight from an automated

teller machine and disappeared.

[theme music]

Every day, thousands of people
do business with their banks

using an automated
teller machine.

It's become a normal
part of our life.

However, anyone standing alone
in front of a bank at midnight,

withdrawing cash from
the automated teller,

would naturally
feel apprehensive.

It is hard not to nervously
look over your shoulder

as you wait for the
computer to take care

of your financial business.

At midnight on June
8th of this year,

a young man in Los Angeles
visited one of these machines.

What happened to him
suggests our fears might

be more real than imaginary.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Los Angeles,

June 8, 1988, 11:45 PM.

Oh, I forgot to
deposit my check.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Returning home from dinner

with his roommate Teresa
Dahl, 22-year-old Matthew

Chase remembered that he
needed to deposit his paycheck.

TERESA: Say, why
don't you take my car?

MATTHEW: OK.

Great.

Oh, and by the way.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Teresa lent Matt her car

and asked if he could pick up
some cat food on the way home.

OK, see you in a few minutes.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Matthew Chase

had known Teresa and her
brother Steve since childhood.

They all moved to Los
Angeles from Medford, Oregon.

That night, when Matt
left their house,

he took only his
bank card with him.

He left his wallet at home.

It should have taken Matt
approximately 10, 15 minutes

to run the errand.

The bank was about two
blocks from our home.

And normally he walked.

And that particular
evening, he'd

taken my car so at the most,
15 minutes would be sufficient.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): We know

that Matt did arrive at the
automated teller that night,

but he never returned home.

Five months later,
his friends and family

are still searching for him.

The next morning, when Matt
still hadn't come home,

his roommates called the police.

Hello, my name
is Matthew Chase.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
They then called the bank.

And by using Matt's
Social Security number,

convinced them that
it was Matt calling.

They wanted to find
out if he had used

his bank card the night before.

There have been
transactions, great.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
bank said he had several times.

Can you tell me what
time they were made?

What day and--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Steve and Teresa

called the police again.

SCOTT BURKHART: A light
came on, indicating

that this is not going to be
a normal run of the mill case.

It's going to be
something that requires

some in-depth investigation.

And it may, may not turn
out to be a good case,

as we call them.

[computer tone]

SCOTT BURKHART: When we
reviewed the bank records,

it indicates that he
made a successful deposit

of a paycheck, received
cash back, and then

returned to the same branch
approximately 30 minutes later

and attempted to
withdraw $280, which

he knows is over the amount of
cash he can receive per day.

The theory there would be that
either he was being forced

to attempt to withdraw
these amounts,

or he was signaling to the
bank, to the computer for help.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
That night, two more attempts

are made to withdraw cash.

The first was for $200.

It was refused because
of insufficient funds.

Then a minute later,
$100 was requested.

Again, as Matt's
paycheck hadn't posted,

this amount was also refused.

11 minutes later, the card
was used at another branch

in a different neighborhood.

Again, the withdrawals
are unsuccessful.

This time, a hidden camera
took photographs of Matt.

Then, a strange man appeared,
standing at Matt's shoulder.

SCOTT BURKHART: According to
these surveillance cameras

at the branch, the person
standing next to Matt

was somewhat shorter,
somewhat stockier.

And overall, he shouldn't
have been in the photograph.

No one is going to let someone
stand that close to him

while they're using
an ATM machine where

they can see the PIN number.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Police
suspect that Matt may have been

abducted by the man
in the photograph

while he was making
his first transactions.

Then in an attempt
to call for help,

they speculate Matt
may have deliberately

entered erroneous amounts,
hoping to attract attention.

Over the next day and
a half, there were

five more withdrawal attempts.

By this time, Matt's
paycheck had cleared.

So $400 was paid out
from his account.

Finally, the card was
confiscated by the machine.

STEVEN DAHL: We put
a freeze on the card,

thinking that number one,
getting the card back

would tell us
where the bank was,

possibly where these people
are, and where Matt might be.

And number two, that the
police might be able to get

fingerprints off the card.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): When
the card was dusted for prints,

none were found.

Police believe that either
the card was wiped clean

or that Matt's
abductor used gloves.

Matt's mother and father
came down from Oregon

to search for their son and
the car he drove to the bank

that night.

If you see the
person in this picture,

would you please
call that number?

MR. CHASE: At first, we
had great hopes, I think,

that we were going to
stumble onto the car

somewhere in the near
proximity of where they lived.

I believe after a couple
three nights of doing this,

we became very frustrated.

SUSAN CHASE: Los Angeles can
be a dangerous place at night.

We saw a lot of things that
were very frightening, I think,

and that only made
it more real to us

that something perhaps very
serious had happened Matt.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Police
believe that Matt may have

been injured in a
mugging and was walking

the streets with amnesia.

Steve and Teresa
distributed Matt's picture

at a local rescue mission.

Hi, could you do
me a favor and keep

an eye out for this guy?

TERESA (VOICEOVER): I talked
to several of the people there,

and a couple of the volunteers
that worked at the Midnight

Mission said, when I showed
them just his driver's license

because I'd run out
of posters, said,

oh, yes, we have seen him.

He's been in here
several times eating.

He's really-- and then they just
started to describe him to me.

And they said he's very tall and
thin, isn't he, and very lanky.

And I said, yes, exactly.

And for them to
get that from one

of those tiny pictures
from a driver's license

is really miraculous.

And we thought, well, wow,
they really have seen him.

And we thought we were just
so close to finding him

at that point.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): On
June 27th, almost three weeks

after Matt's disappearance,
the car he had been driving

was finally found by the
police, abandoned, close to

where Matt had vanished.

SCOTT BURKHART: When
they found that car,

they ran the license
plate via the SVS system.

And it indicated that it was
associated with a missing

person, and that I
wanted the vehicle

held for latent fingerprints.

The criminalist dusted it for
fingerprints, looked at it

for other evidence of a crime.

And the car was completely
void of fingerprints.

And just finding the
vehicle with no fingerprints

would be very unusual in
that you and I driving

our vehicles in a
normal manner will leave

prints on certain items within.

And this vehicle had
absolutely no prints inside.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Police did find one clue

in the car, a blue bandana.

This bandana did not belong
to either Matt or Teresa.

And investigators
believe it may have

been left by Matt's abductors.

I don't know what happened.

I know that I hope
none of the things

that I dreamed about
and wake up in the night

and think about
are the things that

could have happened to Matt.

I am very hopeful
that he's somewhere,

and that he's all right.

And I really think
that, that I will

be with him again sometime.

Today, I sense that
he's still alive.

And that has kept us going.

And we'll never stop looking
for him until we find him,

and I know we'll find him.

TERESA (VOICEOVER):
He means a lot to me.

He's my best friend.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Matthew Chase

is 22 years of age.

He is 6 feet, 2
inches, 150 pounds

and has brown hair
and brown eyes.

He also has a small
tattoo of a dollar

sign behind his right ear.

On March 29th, one chapter
of this mysterious case

came to a close
when the Los Angeles

Coroner's Office
positively identified

the body of Matthew Chase.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): His remains

were discovered in a ravine in
nearby Pasadena on September

the 17th of last year, three
months after he disappeared.

Identification was
delayed by the difficulty

in tracking down dental records.

The cause of death
was a gunshot wound.

LIONEL SALGADO: We had
estimated that he had been

down in this canyon
area since the last week

in June of last year to
September when he was located.

This case is being handled as a
robbery homicide at this point.

The man in the
bank photograph is

wanted for questioning
in the disappearance

and death of Matthew Chase.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
This as an artist's rendering

of the prime suspect
in this case,

based on computer enhancements
of the bank photographs.

Matthew's car was also
stolen and later abandoned.

The killer may have been seen
driving this car in early June.

It was a red two-door
1983 Volkswagen GTI.

When this car was recovered a
blue bandana was found inside.

It is thought the bandana may
have belonged to the killer.

TERESA: I do hope
to find his killer.

And I think that we need
to see this through,

and we will see it through.

And this person must
be brought to justice.

We extend our condolences to
Matthew's family and friends.

We strongly share the Chase
family's desire to see

their son's killer apprehended.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In a moment, the story

of a Houston housewife,
murdered on Valentine's Day

three years ago.

Her family believes she was
murdered by her husband,

but he maintains his innocence.

[theme music]

At 10:06 on the morning
of February 14, 1986,

Valentine's Day, a
young affluent Houston

woman, Marilu Geri, was found
in her home shot four times.

She was rushed to the hospital.

There she was pronounced dead.

She had been murdered.

Marilu's parents believe that
their daughter was murdered

by her husband, Stephen Geri.

Stephen is adamant
that he was not

involved and has a
minute-by-minute alibi

for the morning of the crime.

You will hear both
sides of the story.

On the one side, the anguish
of the loving parents who have

lost a daughter.

On the other, a grieving
husband who has to deal

with a weight of suspicion.

You'll be able to analyze the
evidence in this brutal slaying

but watch closely.

The details of time and
place could be crucial.

Hello, Maria?

Happy birthday, Maria.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Marilu's body

was discovered at 10:06 AM.

At 8:15 AM, Stephen Geri called
Marilu's mother, Maria Serrato,

and asked her to go
over and help Marilu

prepare for a lunchtime party.

If you could go over a
little bit early and help

Marilu get ready for it.

Super.

As soon as I hang up with
him, I dial Mary's number,

and she didn't answer the phone.

And it got me very concerned
because I thought, how strange.

She's supposed to be already
running around the house doing

the last things.

Where, where is she?

So I left.

It took me about 20 minutes
to get to her house.

To my surprise, there was
no answer at the back door.

And everything looked
in perfect condition.

Nothing was disturbed

The front door was not locked.

And that was a shock right
there for me because Mary

was a very careful person.

Her door was always locked.

Mary?

Marilu?

Mary?

Marilu?

Donde estas?

Where are you?

I thought something was wrong.

So I walked to the
back of the house.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Maria searched systematically.

She found Marilu
lying on the floor.

She looked like she
had fainted or something.

And I started to kiss her in
her face and touching her.

And she looked like she was
dead, and it got me completely.

I was just like a wild person.

I thought I was in a nightmare.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
10:30 AM, the paramedics

tried to revive Marilu,
attempting to restart

her heart with an injection.

Marilu was already dead.

Unfortunately, this
procedure would

later make it
impossible to determine

an exact time of death.

Marilu had been shot four
times with two different guns,

a .380 and a .22.

There was no sign of
a gun in the house,

nor were there any physical
signs of a break-in.

In the bedroom, Marilu's
jewelry box was open.

Could robbery have
been a motive?

MARIA SERRATO: There was
jewelry laying in there,

like she had been selecting
jewelry or something

that she was going to wear.

Whoever killed
Marilu didn't come

in the house to steal anything.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Marilu's husband disagrees.

Well, there was
many things taken.

The gross value was, um, ah,
about $25,000 to $30,000,

maybe $40,000 worth
of jewelry, a fur

coat, er, um, other valuables.

There were a lot of
valuable things in the house,

and nothing was disturbed.

This was a well-planned murder.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Marilu and Stephen had

been married for three years.

Stephen was an insurance agent,
and Marilu worked for him.

The couple went on vacation
to Hawaii and Europe

and appeared to be happily
living the good life.

It was extremely
exciting and the most

fulfilling relationship
that I have

ever had with an individual.

It was a torment
of a marriage.

The last two and 1/2
years of her life,

it was nothing but crying
about one thing and another.

They were fighting over money.

She brought out the
strongest qualities

in me, made me more
productive than I'd

ever been in my entire life.

Allowed, we allowed each other
to develop to the fullest.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
As Marilu's husband,

the police naturally
viewed Stephen Geri as one

of the possible suspects
and requested permission

to inspect his handguns.

The ballistics report
proved that Stephen's guns

were not used in the shooting.

We'll get back to you.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Stephen

also gave the police a detailed
account of his movements

on the day of the crime.

Normally, he worked
in his office

at home in the early morning.

This time, he
changed his routine.

Ahem.

I woke up at about
5:00 that morning.

I went upstairs and
worked on the computer.

I had an extremely busy day.

There were some things
that I had to finish up.

Marilu was still in bed.

I told her that I
would call at 7:00.

I, uh, know that the security
system was on when I left

the house at about 6:25, 6:30.

I went down to 7-eleven and
got another cup of coffee.

I left there and went
to the post office,

picked up our mail for the day.

From there, I went to a donut
shop and picked up donuts.

Good morning.

Yeah, I'd like, uh--
Then I went to Precision

Glass, Don Richardson's
company and talked

with him for a moment.

I started to leave, realized
that I had forgotten to call

Mary.

I went back in at
the reception desk

and called her at almost 7:30.

She was up.

She said she was
busy, busy, busy.

So I told her goodbye.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): From
7:30 when he called Marilu

to 10:06 when Marilu's
body was found,

Stephen was often in the
company of witnesses who

have corroborated his alibi.

A private investigator,
Bill Elliott,

hired by Marilu's
parents, examined

Stephen's alibi in detail.

BILL ELLIOTT: The witnesses that
we interviewed indicated to us

that it was not his
habit or pattern

to leave the house before
9:00 or 10:00 in the morning.

And this particular day, he
claims to have left the house

between 6:00 and 6:30.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When Stephen left home,

his first stop was at the
7-eleven, only two blocks away,

less than a five-minute drive.

BILL ELLIOTT: We interviewed the
people at the convenience store

where he went first.

And it was their recollection,
and very positive

recollection, that Stephen
did not get there until three

minutes until 7:00 o'clock,
a variation in the alibi that

would have given him
time to do things

as far as getting
rid of evidence

and that kind of thing.

STEPHEN GERI: Could
I get a receipt?

BILL ELLIOTT: The curious
thing is Mr. Geri had not only

gone to these places
that morning but

the following day, he went
back and reminded these people

that he had been
there the day before,

which is something
that I found unusual.

DAN KEY: The evidence
regarding the time of death

is clouded because of the
EMS crew moving in to attempt

to resuscitate Marilu Serrato.

The time of death
is questionable.

Therefore, the alibi that he
gave may be good and may not.

I have no way of
determining this.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Two years earlier,

Stephen had purchased insurance
policies on both their lives.

Each policy had a total
value of $435,000.

Mr. Geri was a big spender,
liked to spend a lot of money

and like to live the
high life, at a higher

level than his income was
capable of supporting.

In Harris County,
I found a little

over $120,000 of
hard cash judgments

that he had against him.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): 10 months

after the murder, Stephen
filed to collect the $435,000.

Outraged, Marilu's parents
went to court to prevent

him from collecting the money.

They claimed he had been
the cause of Marilu's death

and would attempt to
prove it in court.

MIGUEL SERRATO:
We've learned things

about the insurance money.

And he was on my
daughter's name.

So all that made us suspect
that something was wrong

and that he was in
part or responsible

for the death of my daughter.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Stephen Geri

believes there is another
reason that the Serratos filed

the lawsuit.

Um, well, there's two things
that make the world go round,

and that's sex and money.

And it definitely
wasn't sex, was it?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Just
as the trial was beginning,

after the jury had been picked,
an out-of-court settlement

was reached between Stephen
Geri and the Serratos.

But which side had
requested the settlement,

Stephen or Marilu's parents?

My attorney came
and got me and said

that the Serratos had made
an offer to settle the case.

You can imagine that we--

MIGUEL SERRATO: We didn't.

They did.

We didn't have a reason to.

Why, why, why do
we want to do that?

I was adamant that, um, when
my attorney presented this

to me, that it would not be
as an admission of guilt.

And that rather that the
Serratos would realize that I

was not involved, or why
would they make the offer,

and that we would settle on it.

If it had been my
daughter, and I thought

that person was involved,
there was no way

I would ever take a settlement.

And, uh, but they did.

You're not to
discuss any aspect

of the settlement of this case.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The court

documents can't reveal who
asked for the settlement

since Judge Sklar ordered the
records sealed for two years.

And I assume that
you wish me to approve

the judgment at this time.

Yes, your honor.

All right.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
After Marilu Geri was buried,

the headstone on her grave was
smeared with mud and vandalized

and then stolen.

The headstone has been replaced.

It now reads, "Marilu Serrato."

MARIA SERRATO: It is
very uncomfortable for us

to go on living
knowing that somebody

did something horrible, and
it's not being punished.

No, I did not kill my wife.

Marilu was the
perfect woman for me.

We had a wonderful life
together, exciting.

We traveled.

We built one hell of a
business, and a fantastic

complement for each other.

The police continue their
search for information

about the two weapons
that were used,

a .380 caliber and a
.22 caliber pistol.

They feel these guns will
lead them to the killer.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Next,
the story of an orphan, Dolores

Valadez, who was told
by her stepmother

that she was left on the
doorstep in a suitcase.

She wants to know where
she really came from.

Maybe you can help.

[theme music]

Dolores Valadez has no parents,
no history, no heritage.

She doesn't even
know how old she is.

The stepmother who raised
her, Maria, the only one who

could tell her who
she really is, lies

buried in an unmarked grave.

What Maria did tell Dolores
is a chilling story.

She said she found Dolores
when she was an infant,

abandoned in a
suitcase on the front

porch, an early
companion, a black kitten.

The story has haunted
Dolores all her life.

DOLORES VALADEZ: It
scared me, the fact

that I could have possibly
been left at the doorstep.

And I never wanted
to believe it,

and I was determined
to find out the truth.

I feel like there's relatives
of Maria that know the truth,

but they're still afraid
of Maria in her grave.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Dolores

feels that the mysterious
power of her stepmother Maria

reaches beyond the
grave to keep Dolores'

identity buried with her.

Every day, Dolores wrestles with
a simple question, who am I?

Who am I?

Every time Dolores Valadez
looks in the mirror,

she can see her Spanish
heritage but she can't prove it.

Her lack of a documented
past has caused

her many practical problems.

She's not been able
to get a passport.

She's barred from
receiving money due her

in her stepfather's will,
and her daughter could not

qualify for Mexican-American
college scholarships

because Dolores'
birthright is a mystery.

Dolores Valadez is looking
for a past, an identity.

Perhaps someone in
our audience can

help Dolores find the answer
to her question, who am I?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
1947, the year Dolores believed

she was born, San
Bernardino, California,

was a bustling city,
swelling with its new

Mexican-American population.

San Bernardino was the
town where Dolores grew up

in the home of Maria Valadez.

Maria was a midwife, and
a powerful "curandera,"

a healer who worked with
potent herbs and ointments.

She was respected and even
feared in the community.

Maria had been told that
she could not have children

of her own, so she adopted
two, a boy named Mingo

and a girl named Vickie.

For some reason,
she never adopted

Dolores, the baby
she said was left

on her doorstep in a suitcase.

As a child, Dolores
felt isolated.

And although Mingo
and Vickie were

told who their
natural parents were,

Dolores' background was left a
mystery, a topic to be avoided.

DOLORES VALADEZ
(VOICEOVER): I never felt

like Maria really wanted me.

I never really felt
accepted by her.

I felt a lot of resentment.

I felt afraid of her many times.

Maria always would
tell me various stories

about how I didn't really
belong in the family and so

forth and so.

Mommy, where do I come from?

DOLORES VALADEZ (VOICEOVER):
She would tell me

that I arrived in a suitcase and
was left in front of the steps.

Tell me the truth.

DOLORES VALADEZ
(VOICEOVER): And I really

didn't want to believe it.

But I would tell her,
well, tell me the truth.

Why don't you just
tell me the truth?

Where did I come from?

And she would just turn
around and ignore me.

It's a real strange
feeling to think

that nobody really wanted you.

VICKIE MONTOYA: The only
thing I can remember

is my mother said that
Dolores came in a suitcase.

And that's it.

It was dropped right there.

And I thought they
were just kidding.

You know, I was just
a little girl myself.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): When Dolores

was in the fourth
grade, Maria died.

Dolores drifted from
orphanages to foster homes,

until in 1963, she
settled down and began

to turn her life around.

She completed high school,
trained as a flight attendant,

and got married.

In 1970, after the
birth of her daughter,

Erika, Dolores decided
she had to know

the truth about her own birth.

Starting at the San
Bernardino Hall of Records,

she pursued a paper trail
that she hoped would lead

to the identity of her parents.

Despite her high hopes, there
was no record that Dolores

had ever been born.

With no trace of her
birth, Dolores went looking

for a record of her baptism.

Finally in a church five
miles outside San Bernardino,

she found a baptismal
record with her birth date

and the name of Maria Valadez.

Dolores also found a new clue.

And I have godparents.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The record

showed that Dolores had
two godparents, Rodolfo

Minjares and Rufina Rodriguez.

DOLORES VALADEZ:
I never knew them.

Boy, I'd sure like to get to--

Back in the '40s,
people were more inclined

to think of children
being out of wedlock

as something to hide.

So there's a possibility
that Dolores' godparents

are her parents
because I've seen

that before in other cases.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Dolores

had one other clue to her past.

Maria had told her
that as an infant,

Dolores had been
hospitalized for diphtheria.

Hi.

Hi.

DOLORES VALADEZ (VOICEOVER):
One of my searches

was going to the county
hospital in San Bernardino.

And on the admissions
card, they listed a woman

named Esther as my mother.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Dolores

had never heard the name
of Esther Valadez before.

The hospital form stated
that Esther was deceased.

But in fact, no
death certificate

was found in the San
Bernardino Hall of Records.

Strangely, Dolores'
admission forms

also stated that
Maria was Dolores'

aunt, not her stepmother.

And Dolores' birthdate
was listed as September

the 17th, which
was not the birth

date she had always celebrated.

Clearly, the records may
have been falsified, but why?

Several times we have run into
cases where in Mexican families

who have had large
numbers of children

have given a baby, one
of their children away,

one of their newborns, away
to one of the other family

members who've been childless.

If this was the
case with Dolores,

none of the family members
would ever talk about it.

And they would virtually carry
it with them to their graves.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
If someone gave Dolores

to Maria, who did it and why?

Perhaps the answer lies in
Maria's years as a midwife.

Dolores had heard a family
rumor that Maria once kept

a baby girl she helped deliver.

According to the rumor,
the baby's mother

was a family friend.

Dolores decided to question her.

Hello?

DOLORES VALADEZ: Hello, my
name is Dolores Valadez.

And I grew up in the L Street
area of San Bernardino.

DOLORES VALADEZ
(VOICEOVER): This lady

lived in the Valadez's
home around the time

that I could have been born.

Well, yes, come on in.

DOLORES VALADEZ: OK, thank you.

DOLORES VALADEZ (VOICEOVER):
She was nervous and couldn't

keep her composure very well.

DOLORES VALADEZ: I've heard
rumors that you're my mother.

Are you my mother?

No, I'm not your mother.

And as much as I would
love to be your mother,

you have not given
me any, any proof.

DOLORES VALADEZ (VOICEOVER):
And I look very much

like her daughter's picture.

I could be her twin.

But she keeps denying
that she is my mother.

Well, she's mad.

I mean, she wants to
know who are her parents.

You know, she
doesn't, she doesn't

want anything from them.

All she wants is what is my
name, when's my birthday.

That's all she wants.

She doesn't want
nothing else but that.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Dolores

had isolated three
possible mothers:

Esther, the woman named
in her hospital records;

Rufina, her baptismal godmother;
and the reticent family friend.

But none of the
leads had paid off.

My mom, I know--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Dolores felt her last hope

was Mingo, Maria's adopted son.

He had been reluctant to talk.

So while we were interviewing
Mingo, Dolores confronted him.

Dolores claimed that
when they were younger,

Mingo had told her
that he knew the truth.

DOLORES VALADEZ: Oh, you didn't?

I'm positive that years
ago you told me that you

couldn't tell me the truth.

- No, I don't remember that.
- Do you remember that?

MINGO ARRIOLA: I
don't remember that.

DOLORES VALADEZ: You
don't remember that, huh.

No.

DOLORES VALADEZ: So you
don't know anything--

DOLORES VALADEZ
(VOICEOVER): Sometimes

I get the feeling that
he's still afraid of Maria

even in her grave.

And there really isn't
anything to be afraid of.

People don't come
back from the dead.

I had felt very frustrated
and very discouraged.

But I still have a
feeling inside of me

that there are people
out there that know.

They're just afraid.

I have prayed a lot about
my parents coming forward

or somebody coming
forward with the truth.

I don't want to hurt
anyone by them admitting

that they're my parents.

Then if they want
to come forward

and acknowledge that
I'm their daughter,

that would really make me happy.

I have a very strong
feeling that somebody out

there is looking for me, too.

Tonight, we've seen four
stories without endings,

four stories in
which ordinary people

have been thrust into the
center of an unsolved mystery.

Perhaps someone
tonight can help them.

Perhaps they were watching.

Perhaps it's you.