All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S11E06.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264_track3_[eng]

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on
"Unsolved Mysteries--"

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
18-year-old Bryan Nisenfeld

set off for college,
eager to pursue his dream

of becoming an architect.

Then he suddenly vanished.

His boot was discovered
several months later.

What happened to Bryan?

It was the scene of one
of the most infamous

unsolved murders in US history.

Now, many believe Lizzie
Borden's house is haunted.

Has a ghostly entity
returning from the dead

to tell us who
committed the crime?

A young man takes off on
a cross-country journey

following in the footsteps
of beat poet Jack Carroll.

Nine days later,
her Jeep is found

destroyed in a remote
mountain region

and there is no sign
of her anywhere.

On a deserted stretch of
highway in eastern Kentucky,

a high-speed police
chase suddenly

turns into a violent shootout.

This man is wanted for the
attempted murder of a sheriff's

deputy and authorities need your
help to bring him to justice.

Four mysteries that
have no explanation.

Perhaps there are
answers or perhaps

there are only questions.

Join me for this
fascinating addition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]

Every autumn, the ritual is
the same, parents breaking

the ties that bind, sending
their sons and daughters off

to college for the first time.

High hopes for
their children are

tempered by concern that
they can cope on their own.

Hey, man.

What's up?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In the fall of 1996,

18-year-old Bryan
Nisenfeld left his New

Jersey home for Roger Williams
University in Rhode Island.

He looked forward to earning
a degree in architecture.

As Bryan had grown
up, he rarely ventured

outside the safe confines
of his family circle,

yet he wrote in his
high school yearbook

that his dream was to make
a difference in the world.

Now he was setting off
in pursuit of that dream.

During his second semester
at Roger Williams University,

Bryan left his afternoon
literature class,

then he inexplicably vanished.

Six months later, on a
serene Labor Day weekend,

Lori Vales and her
daughter, Chelsea,

stroll on Hog Island
Beach, just a few miles

from the university.

LORI VALES: I noticed
a shoe on the sand

that was at the high tide line.

It looks like someone just
walked out of their shoe.

And I just kind of poked
the shoe with my stick,

and it seemed hard
like something

had been stuck inside the shoe.

I realized there was like a
white very shiny white almost

plastic-looking smooth
surface and around it

like a fleshy substance.

So I knew right at
that point that there

was a foot inside the shoe.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): DNA tests

determined the foot and
a shinbone found close by

were those of Bryan Nisenfeld.

Authorities found no other
remains, but could only

conclude that Bryan was dead.

When it was announced that the
bones were possibly Bryan's, it

gave us some kind
of relief knowing

that he didn't just wander off.

But to lose someone that you
love so much is very hard.

It's a catastrophic event.

It changes your life forever.

You go on and you're
never the same again.

You're a piece of
what you used to be.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Bryan Nisenfeld

often sought solitude
here, less than a

mile from his campus dormitory.

Intelligent and introspective,
he had a passion for poetry.

He was well-liked, yet
had few close friends.

From the day he vanished
on February 6, 1997,

no one could seem to
agree what happened.

Some believe he may
have slipped and fell

from his favorite seaside
haunt, drowning just offshore.

Others thought he might
have been distraught

and deliberately leaped
from Mount Hope Bridge

under cover of darkness.

But the most
disturbing possibility

was that an unknown
assailant killed

Bryan and then dumped his body
in the cold Atlantic waters.

What really happened
to Bryan Nisenfeld?

Largely based on the fact
that we have not uncovered

any evidence whatsoever
of foul play,

we're inclined to
believe this perhaps

may have been a suicide.

STEVEN NISENFELD: I don't think
Bryan would commit suicide,

I don't think he
did commit suicide.

There's no evidence
of that, there's never

been any evidence of that.

It's all theory.

An accident, I
guess it's possible.

But in my heart, my gut, I
don't think that was the case.

I believe Bryan was murdered.

To this day, I believe
Bryan was murdered.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In a search for answers,

investigators try to
reconstruct Bryan's brief term

at Roger Williams University.

From the beginning, his
life there was a struggle.

MARIANNE BROWN: Bryan's
academic career in high school

came very easily for him.

This was much more
of a challenge.

And with it being his
first time away from home,

he missed his family
that he was so close to.

And I don't think
he realized how

much his family meant to him
until he actually went away.

So I think Bryan was homesick.

He didn't do very well
that fall semester, Bryan.

His grades kind of plummeted.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Investigators

believe Bryan's difficult
transition to life on his own

might have driven him
to commit suicide.

But something more sinister may
have led to his disappearance,

something that surfaced
from the shadowy corners

of his private life.

Midnight, January 30th, 1997.

Hello, Dad?

Dad, you have to
come up and get me.

Just by the
inflection of his voice,

I knew that he was
in a crisis mood,

I knew that he was scared.

And he said, this kid
is threatening me.

He's harassing me on the phone.

He was threatening
to get on campus,

threatening to beat him up.

He said that he could get
to him anytime he wanted.

And I thought, if this
kid can get on the campus,

the security has
to know about it.

Hey, Bryan.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Campus
security called the student

advisor in Bryan's dormitory.

How are you doing?

Good.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The threatening calls,

Bryan said, were from a student
he knew but was no longer

attending the university.

What motivated the
caller, however,

Bryan was either unable
or unwilling to say.

- You're OK?
- Yeah.

I'm OK.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But Bryan now

seemed more trouble than ever.

Bryan, let's have
a minute please.

I'd like to talk to you.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): After he

left his literature
class on February 6th,

he was never seen alive again.

Six days would pass,
however, before his absence

was deemed suspicious.

Once notified by the
university, Bryan's father

instantly set out on
the five-hour drive

from New Jersey.

When I heard that my son, that
Bryan was missing for a week,

two things happened in my mind.

One, I go through a state
of disbelief and shock.

And the other thing is
I've got to find him,

I've got to get involved, I have
to see what the hell happened.

Bryan's room.

Nothing's changed.

It's exactly the
way we found it.

His gloves are still here.

It's the middle of the winter.

STEVEN NISENFELD: It looked like
he stepped out to get a soda

or go to dinner or something.

It looked like I should wait
and he's going to show up again.

But it was seven
days, it was a week

since he disappeared
so I knew he

wasn't coming back to the room.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Bryan's parents

believe the former
student who allegedly

menaced Bryan over the phone
may have carried out his threat.

Investigators
discovered his identity

and learned that he and
Bryan had been close friends

during his first semester.

Reporter Jody Erickson
wrote a series of articles

about Bryan's disappearance.

JODY ERICSON: Bryan
being unsure of himself,

having some freshmen jitters
really seemed to gravitate

toward this one student.

I do know just from
talking to Bryan's parents

and reading some
of Bryan's poetry

that he did seem to
be a young man who

was questioning his sexuality.

And while I'm not
sure whether it

was an overt homosexual
relationship,

I do think that there
were undertones of that.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Whatever

the nature of their
friendship, it

abruptly ended,
for reasons known

only to Bryan and his friend.

JODY ERICSON: Certainly, one of
the theories that I've explored

is that this former
student was going

to expose his relationship
with Bryan, that there were

certain things that Bryan
didn't want his parents to know,

didn't want his
hometown to know,

and that his homosexuality
could have been one of them.

MARIANNE BROWN: Was it
possible that Bryan was gay?

Well, I guess it's possible.

He would not say what
soured their relationship.

He would not tell me
anything in relationship

to the relationship
with the former student.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Did Bryan take his own life,

unable to face public
exposure that he

was gay or did his turbulent
friendship lead to his murder?

The former student,
in my opinion,

had something to do
with Bryan's death.

He may not have been actual
person to have done him in,

but I think he had something
to do with Bryan's death.

We were able to meet
with that individual,

conduct a comprehensive
interview of him,

and we are fully satisfied
that that person had

absolutely no responsibility
in the disappearance

of Bryan Nisenfeld.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): More
than four years have passed

since Bryan's disappearance.

For Bryan's parents, four
years filled with pain

and unanswered questions.

STEVEN NISENFELD: It's every
parent's worst nightmare.

If it happened to
us, it could happen

to you, your child,
your daughter,

your son, your nephew.

It could happen to you.

I know somebody
knows something.

They're just afraid to
talk and I don't know why.

But they are afraid to talk,
they're afraid to come forward.

Somebody has to know
something about Bryan.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): If
you ever find yourself in Fall

River, Massachusetts,
you might consider

staying in this quaint country
inn-- or you might not--

the Lizzie Borden
Bed and Breakfast.

GIRL (VOICEOVER): (SINGING)
Lizzie Borden took an axe

and gave her mother 40 whacks.

When she saw what she had
done, she gave her father 21.

Good morning.

Welcome to Lizzie Borden's.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The scene of one

of the most gruesome unsolved
mysteries in US history

is now open for business.

Visitors can enjoy
an informative chat

about the sadistic murders while
eating a breakfast of Johnny

cakes and mutton broth, the
same meal Abby and Andrew Borden

ate on their final day.

Guests can then
linger in the parlor,

where Andrew's head received 11
unexpected blows from an axe.

And after a long
day of sightseeing,

you can drift off to
sleep in the same bedroom

where Abby Borden's
pummeled body was discovered

lifeless on the floor.

Some of the guests do try
to figure out who did it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Not surprisingly, most people

do not sleep easily.

There are numerous reports
that the Lizzie Borden

Bed and Breakfast is haunted.

MARTHA MCGINN: I
think the apparitions

and all the activity that has
been happening in the house is

a possibility that the spirits
are trying to communicate

through myself, my staff, or my
guests of who really committed

the murders so they
can rest in peace,

put the story to sleep
for once and for all.

On August 4, 1892, wealthy
businessman Andrew Borden

and his wife, Abby, are brutally
hacked to death in their home.

Andrew's 32-year-old spinster
daughter, Lizzie, was

arrested for the double murder.

Her trial, however, ended in
acquittal, and to this day,

nobody knows who committed
the savage crime--

nobody, that is, except
for the victims themselves

and the murderer, all of
whom are long since dead--

or are they?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In 1968, Martha McGinn

moved into the
Borden house, which

had been purchased by her
grandparents 43 years earlier.

According to Martha,
she soon became aware

of an unsettling presence
lurking in the shadows

of the aging building.

MARTHA MCGINN: When I
was about 16 years old,

I was in my bedroom reading
a book and above my room

I could distinctly hear
footsteps and the sound

of like marbles being played.

And it almost sounded like
little childrens' laughter.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Shortly thereafter, Martha

witnessed another
strange phenomenon,

this one far more
disturbing than the last.

MARTHA MCGINN: I
went up the stairway

and the window at the end
of the second floor corridor

just began opening
and slamming shut.

It was just violently
going up and down.

I got the creepy
crawlies that time.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Martha became convinced

that a ghost was prowling
her home, tormenting

her at every opportunity.

But who and why?

The answer to that
question may have

come when Martha
made the mistake

of entering the basement alone.

Here, legend holds,
is where Lizzie

hid the axe she used to butcher
her stepmother and father.

MARTHA MCGINN: A shadow sort of
like a silhouette floated maybe

four inches above the floor.

I could tell it was
a woman, I could

tell it was Victorian clothes.

I just turned around and
ran back up the stairs.

That experience really
did frighten me.

That actually did make
my hair stand on end.

I didn't really
want to tell anyone.

I just didn't think
they'd believe it.

And I didn't want them
to think I was crazy

or a figment of my
imagination because I

really did see this happening.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Martha's

own terrifying experiences
were about to be confirmed.

In 1994, she inherited
the Borden house

and decided to capitalize
on its infamous reputation

by turning it into a very
unusual bed and breakfast.

Using crime scene
photos, Martha replicated

the home's exact condition
on the day of the murders.

STEVEN NISENFELD: When we first
opened, I had hired my staff.

Most of them at the
time did not believe

in ghosts or apparitions
or anything like that.

And then odd things
started happening to them.

KERRI RODERICK: I arrived
at work to start cleaning

the house and making beds.

I was on my last room,
which was the guest room.

And I had made the bed and
cleaned, dusted and everything.

And then I turned
around and there

was the perfect
impression of somebody

laying on the bed, the indent
in the pillow in the bed.

I looked at it for
a couple of seconds

and then I booked
it out of the room.

I had to leave.

It scared me because I
had never seen anything

like that before in my life.

Kerri was white as a ghost.

Forgive the pun, but
she was really pale.

And I couldn't get her back
in, not even get her paycheck.

She would not come in the house.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Over a century

ago when this
guestroom, Abby Borden

received 19 hacks to her face.

Some are convinced
that Abby is now trying

to communicate with the living.

Andrew Borden was killed
in the downstairs parlor,

his half sitting, half
lying body slumped

across a Victorian sofa.

Here employees report seeing
a strange apparition, perhaps

Andrew vainly trying
to seek human form.

ELEANOR THIMBAULT: I was sitting
in the parlor on the phone

and this strange feeling came
over me, a very eerie feeling.

Hi, Sally.

It's Eleanor.

When I looked up
to the kitchen door,

I saw what I thought was
all this smoke coming out

of the kitchen,
like a foggy smoke.

What the heck is that?

There's smoke coming
out of the kitchen.

ELEANOR THIMBAULT: And
I thought to myself,

well, that's strange.

There isn't anybody in
the kitchen cooking.

Why would all this
smoke be coming out?

No.

No one was there.

What the heck is it?

ELEANOR THIMBAULT: The way it
traveled very slow, very slow

until it got to the sofa where
Mr. Borden was hacked to death

and it just dissipated.

Very slowly, it dissipated.

I'm freaking out.

This is too weird.

I was alone in the house
so I know I saw something

that was out of this world.

It wasn't from this
world, that's for sure.

What's going on
in the house today

in terms of things that people
are experiencing and seeing

and hearing certainly has
a lot to do with the fact

that a violent, emotional
act went on here.

Also because it's
an unsolved mystery

means it's definitely
here to stay.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Author and ghost writer

Katherine Ramsland believes
that Andrew and Abby

Borden are trying to tell
us who killed them, so far

unsuccessfully.

Hoping to document the
paranormal activity

at the Borden house,
Katherine and a house employee

headed to the
basement armed with

a voice-activated recorder.

KATHERINE RAMSLAND:
We went down there.

It was very dark and I just
simply said, is anybody here?

And we could see that the
recorder was activated,

though we could hear nothing.

It was absolute silence, and
yet it was clear something

was being recorded.

So I decided instead of
asking any more questions,

I would just see
what we had gotten.

KATHERINE RAMSLAND (ON TAPE):
Is there anyone here with us?

[static]

KATHERINE RAMSLAND:
We shot up the steps

because we weren't
staying down there

with that, whatever it was.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): A noise from

the dead or static electricity?

No one knows for sure.

Katherine Ramsland
feels the recording

is the first solid evidence
that Abby and Andrew

Borden are ready to share
the chilling circumstances

of their bloody end.

As for Lizzie,
following her acquittal,

she used her inheritance
to buy a mansion

in a fashionable
district of Fall River.

Her final years were spent
in seclusion, ostracized

by the surrounding community.

She died in 1927
at the age of 67.

But those who work and
live at 92 2nd Street

believe that Lizzie
has returned home.

They claim that Lizzie,
Abby, and Andrew still

walk these halls and
haunt these rooms,

chained forever to this
place by the horrific events

of over a century ago.

And some speculate that
maybe, just maybe, one of them

will tell us what really
happened on August 4th, 1892.

will tell us what really
happened on August 4th, 1892.

Two joggers in Mount
Baker National Forest

in Washington state
notice a piece of clothing

dangling from a tree branch.

Honey, there's a shirt
or something up there.

That's weird.

See anyone around?

No.

Someone crashed down there.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The Jeep has plunged

over a steep embankment.

Inside the car are a
passport, money, and clothing,

but there is no sign of
anyone nor any indication

that someone has been injured.

Mark, what did you find?

There she is.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Police traced the Jeep

to 23-year-old college student
Leah Roberts, who left her home

in Raleigh, North Carolina nine
days earlier without telling

anybody where she was going.

KARA ROBERTS: I found out
that her car had been found.

Here she is on the whole
opposite side of the country,

haven't heard from
her in nine days,

and her car shows up
with no sign of Leah.

So needless to say, I was
really, really worried.

The discovery of
Leah Roberts' Jeep

has only deepened the mystery
surrounding her disappearance.

There are few clues.

Authorities cannot even
say for certain if Leah

was in her car when it crashed.

Only one thing is
certain, Leah Roberts

embarked on a cross-country
journey of self-discovery.

Her friends and family are still
waiting for her to come home.

SUZIE SMITH: Leah is just
a very awesome person.

Everybody that meets
her likes her--

very personable, great smile.

On she was kind of
private also, definitely.

Very sweet and nice, but it
took a while to get to know her.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When Leah Roberts

was in her early
twenties, she experienced

a series of tragedies
that would forever

influence her outlook on life.

First, her mother
died unexpectedly.

Then Leah was in a
near-fatal car accident.

And finally, after
a long illness,

her father passed away.

HEATH ROBERTS: I think
that all of those things

together had the cumulative
effect of making Leah even more

introspective and
probably more aware

that although she didn't
know what she wanted to do,

I think she was unhappy that
she wasn't achieving it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Leah
found solace in the writings

of Jack Kerouac.

The famous beat
generation poet often

wrote about the
free-spirited road

trips he took during the 1950s.

Leah was especially enamored by
"The Dharma Bums," a story that

encourages the reader to
leave behind the materialism

of modern life.

Part of that book
takes place at a fire

lookout on Desolation
Peak near Mount

Baker in Washington state.

From the last
conversation that we had,

we were talking
about "Dharma Bums."

When Kerouac talks about being
alone on Desolation Peak and--

JEANNINE QUILLER:
--and about how Kerouac

was up on Desolation
Peak just taking

in all the beauty around him.

So are you inspired to
go to Desolation Peak now?

I'd love to go
to Desolation Peak.

She was talking about wanting
to go up on Desolation Peak

and how she really wanted
to go off by herself

and figure a lot of
things out and figure out

what kind of person she
wanted to be because she

really didn't know anymore.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Just three months

before she would graduate
from college with a degree

in Spanish, it appears
that Leah Roberts secretly

decided to turn her
dream into a reality.

Leah packed up most of
her cherished belongings

and her cat, B, and took
off for Desolation Peak

3,000 miles across the country.

SUZIE SMITH: The way we
first heard that she had left

was it had been a
period of like four days

where we hadn't seen her
and we began to worry.

And we called people--

family, called friends.

No one had heard from her.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Leah's family

and friends filed a
missing persons report

and checked bank records for
any activity on her account.

Leah had made several
cash withdrawals tracing

a route towards the west coast.

It took her only three
days to make it to Oregon.

KARA ROBERTS: The day after
we filed the missing persons

report, I went over to Leah's
house just to kind of check

through things, see if I could
find any clue or whatnot, just

something to give me an answer.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Amid
the clutter on Leah's dresser,

Kara discovered a cryptic note.

LEAH ROBERTS
(VOICEOVER): This is

to cover bills while I'm gone.

Remember, everyone is together
in thoughts and prayers

and time passes quickly.

Have faith in me,
yourself, everyone.

Remember Jack Kerouac.

KARA ROBERTS: Leah's nice
said, I'm not suicidal,

I'm the opposite.

Remember Jack Kerouac.

So that kind of right there
is an allusion to Kerouac

and that that might
be part of her trip.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Five days later, Leah's Jeep

was discovered in Mount Baker
National Forest, 100 miles

from Desolation Peak.

But Leah was
nowhere to be found.

There were several alarming
and contradictory aspects

to the crash scene.

Authorities estimate
that the car

was traveling at
40 miles per hour

when it plunged
over the embankment.

In all likelihood,
the driver would

have been seriously injured.

KEVIN MCFADDEN: Well, with
the speed that the vehicle was

traveling and the amount
of damage to the vehicle,

you would anticipate some type
of injury to the person inside.

If there was no injury
to the person inside,

at least some type of
evidence to indicate contact

damage that the person had
been inside the vehicle.

None of those
signs were evident.

Oh, man.

Look at this.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): There was

also no blood inside the Jeep
or in the surrounding area.

Investigators were
forced to consider

whether the car was unoccupied
when it went over the hill.

But that scenario also
turned out to be problematic.

KEVIN MCFADDEN: There is nothing
to indicate the wheel was tied

and that it was
pushed off the road.

We couldn't find any marks on
the back indicating anybody

had pushed it to where it was.

If you had somebody driving the
vehicle and they jumped out,

you'd have taken your
life into your own hands

trying to jump out of the
vehicle at that speed.

- I'll run the plates.
- All right.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Police now

had strong evidence
that supported

two opposite conclusions.

Someone had to be driving
the Jeep when it crashed

and no one could have
driven over the embankment

without leaving behind
signs of an injury.

To make matters
even more confusing,

blankets had been placed in the
vehicle's shattered windows.

It appeared that someone had
used the car as a shelter

after the accident.

If you guys see anything,
give us a call on the radio.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A
search of the surrounding area

was immediately undertaken.

KEVIN MCFADDEN: We
brought in dogs, we

brought in search and rescue
and did a complete grid

search up and down the road.

But they weren't able to find
any indication that anybody

had left that vehicle.

I mean, there's
not even any blood.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
Jeep was taken to a police

garage and further examined.

It was full of Leah's
personal belongings--

a large amount of cash,
an empty cat carrier--

Found a diamond ring.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
--and Leah's mother's

diamond engagement ring.

As long as I've known
Leah, she has worn

her mother's engagement ring.

It was her most
prized possession.

And when we discovered that the
ring had been found in the car,

it was definitely for me
kind of a bad sign on.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
What happened to Leah Roberts?

Was she even in her
Jeep when it crashed?

If she was, why was there
no sign of her being hurt?

And finally, why would she
leave behind everything that she

cared most about in this world?

Perhaps Leah did accidentally
drive off the road

but survived
relatively unscathed.

She then would
have been stranded

in one of the most
remote wilderness regions

in the country.

Leah may have presented
an irresistible target

for a killer.

KEVIN MCFADDEN: You can't rule
out foul play when you don't

see somebody for over a year.

But there's no
evidence to indicate

that that has happened.

We did process the vehicle
for your typical evidence--

hairs and fibers and blood--

and nothing, nothing to
indicate that that's happened.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Or maybe the lack

of blood at the
crash site indicates

that Leah suffered an
internal injury, conceivably

a debilitating head injury.

Could she now be walking the
streets with no memory of who

she is or where she came from?

There is a third possibility,
did Leah Roberts--

inspired by her favorite
author, Jack Kerouac--

leave her former life behind
in one final dramatic gesture?

KARA ROBERTS: I can
understand Leah's

needing to get away and find
some peace within herself.

But considering the loss that
our family's experienced,

it's difficult for
me to think that she

would leave us open for
another loss like this.

It's difficult to
imagine her wanting

to distance herself from her
family for as long as she has.

But of course, you don't want
to imagine the negative things

that could have happened.

You don't ever
know what someone's

thinking in their head.

No matter what they tell you,
you still don't know, not 100%.

You never know.

That's why none of this
makes sense to anybody.

It's so out of character for her
in some ways and in some ways,

it's not.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): One week

after Leah Roberts'
Jeep was found,

an anonymous tipster called
investigators and reported

that his wife had just
seen Leah at a gas station

30 miles from Seattle.

Leah appeared confused
and disoriented.

But before authorities
could obtain

further information
from the witness,

he panicked and
hung up the phone.

The police are now
asking for your help.

Leah Roberts is five feet
six, weighs 130 pounds,

and has sandy blond hair.

She has a beauty mark
on her right upper lip

and a surgical scar
on her right hip.

Rural Kentucky, the
kind of homespun

place where most folks
are downright neighborly.

On a quiet Sunday
evening in October,

Bell County Sheriff's
Deputy Scott Elder

was taking a break
during a routine patrol

when a pickup truck suddenly
sped by with both taillights

out.

Deputy Elder had no idea
who was behind the wheel

or that all hell was
about to break loose.

[siren]

When I came behind
him, he was driving fine.

The only thing that I
directed my attention to

were the no taillights.

I caught up with it.

It was a camouflaged truck,
Kentucky militia on the back.

I had no idea what that was.

I just didn't know.

That's when I made
the traffic stop.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening.

I'm Deputy Elder with the
Bell County Sheriff's Office.

Hey, Deputy Elder.

The reason I stopped is
your taillights are out.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At first, Deputy Elder

saw no reason for concern.

But your tail lights are out.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
driver seemed friendly enough

and he agreed to take care
of the problem right away.

I'll just go down the road
here and get that fixed.

Thank you for telling
me about that.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But then everything changed.

However, I do need to
see your driver's license

and make sure it's valid.
- No.

You don't need to
see my license.

Yes, sir, I do.

The reason you
don't need to see it

is because I'm a member of
the Kentucky state militia.

He started getting
very agitated,

he started turning real
red, he started yelling.

As a matter of fact,
I get my powers--

SCOTT ELDER: That's when I
caught a glimpse of a pistol

magazine through the window.

Are they any weapons
in the vehicle?

Yes, I have weapons
in the vehicle.

Sir, for my safety--

sir, for my safety put your--

I don't need to put
my hands anywhere.

Put your hands
where I can see them.

Don't take that gun out.

SCOTT ELDER: I kept screaming
at him, step out of the truck,

step out of the truck.

And that's when he threw it
in drive and he took off.

I just couldn't believe
this was going on.

It's a Sunday, supposed
to be a dead shift.

Not anymore.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Careening along Route 25,

the two vehicles were locked
in a dangerous high-speed cat

and mouse game when the prey
suddenly became the predator.

SCOTT ELDER: He turned a U-turn
and came back at the cruiser.

When he stops, I
back my cruiser up.

I swerved and missed him and
he whipped it back around

and he was chasing me
at that point in time.

And I was on the radio and
I was telling dispatch,

I said, he's chasing me.

Get me some backup now.

SCOTT ELDER: And I said, I don't
know what he's trying to do.

I said, this guy's crazy.

But he's chasing me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): It
was a bizarre scene that quickly

shifted from dangerous to
deadly, with the deputy

now under siege.

Guys, I need backup now.

[gunfire]

He's shooting at me.

[gunfire]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Then with bullets flying

and his life on the line, Deputy
Elder turned the tables again.

Moments later, he was
bearing down on the truck

when the driver suddenly
slammed on his brakes

and jumped from the vehicle.

Come on.
Come on.

You want some of this?

Get your hands up.

Do it now.

Don't you mess with me, boy.

[gunfire]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to police,

a wild shooting spree ensued.

[gunfire]

The enraged gunman unloaded
more than 30 rounds

and peeled off down the highway.

Deputy Elder fired
back, but the truck

was a moving target and quickly
disappeared into the night.

I was shaking.

I didn't know whether to
cry or scream, get mad.

I didn't know what to do.

I just didn't know
what to think know.

What the hell happened?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Deputy Elder was still in shock

the next morning when at
least part of the puzzle

fell into place.

Authorities discovered
the gunman's vehicle

abandoned in the backwoods.

They identified the owner
as 55-year-old Steven Howard

Anderson.

In the back of Anderson's
truck, sheriffs' deputies

claimed they found
enough weapons

and ammo to equip a small army.

KARL STANKOVIC: There
were six pipe [inaudible]

we found in the
cab of the vehicle,

there was a semi-automatic
rifle, over 9,000

rounds of ammunition of
various calibers found

in the back of the
vehicle in a camper,

and there was other survival
gear and clothing and some food

as well.

Given the mindset that we
believe Steven Anderson has,

when you see that
type of weaponry,

it poses a serious threat
to property and people.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Further investigation

revealed Steven Anderson
apparently did have ties

with the civilian paramilitary
group known as the Kentucky

State Militia, an
organization not sanctioned

by any government body.

Its stated mission,
to protect and defend

the US constitution from all
enemies, foreign and domestic.

But according to law
enforcement officials,

some members can be
fanatical and dangerous.

Even when compared to the
group's extreme element,

Steven Anderson was
considered a loose cannon.

In fact, a short time before
the shootout with Deputy Elder,

Anderson had been booted
out of the militia.

CHARLES PUCKETT:
Steve was dismissed

for conduct unbecoming.

His agenda would be to do
the second revolution now.

In our opinion, it's not time.

The legislative process
in Kentucky still works.

When that system
ceases to function,

then it's time for a revolution.

Sir, do you have any
weapons in the vehicle?

Yes, I have weapons
in the vehicle.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Was Steven Anderson poised

to launch his own private war?

Authorities were
anxious to find out.

After obtaining
a search warrant,

they uncovered another huge
cache of weapons and explosives

on Anderson's property.

More pipe bombs, grenades,
machine guns, and approximately

12,000 rounds of ammunition.

Agents also found a low-powered
ham radio transmitter allegedly

used by Anderson to broadcast
hate-filled vendettas

against the establishment.

STEVEN ANDERSON (VOICEOVER):
I can see it now.

Joe Patriot's driving
down the road--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In fact, just five days

before the shoot out
with Deputy Elder,

Anderson acted out an
eerily similar scenario

to the actual encounter.

STEVEN ANDERSON (VOICEOVER):
Well, Mr. Patriot.

I need to see your
national ID now and get

you to step out of the vehicle.

But sir, that violates
the Constitution.

I don't care about
no Constitution.

I said give me your
national ID card.

Well, OK, buddy.

I'll give you my
national ID card.

Scan this.

[gunshots]

Have a nice day, officer.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
To Deputy Elder,

Anderson's chilling words
were shocking and scary.

I had no idea that
he had done that.

There's no doubt in my mind
now that he had it planned.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening.

SCOTT ELDER: Any
police officer that

came in contact with him,
that's what was going to happen.

[gunfire]

There was going to be a
shootout no matter what.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Steven Anderson

is still on the run
and authorities need

your help to bring
him to justice.

KARL STANKOVIC:
It's quite possible

that when Steven Anderson
abandoned his vehicle,

he may have hid in the
woods for a period of time

and either sought
out or received

help from people in the area.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Steven Anderson

is wanted by the
Kentucky State Police

for the attempted murder
of Deputy Scott Elder.

He is also wanted by the
ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco, and Firearms,
for violation

of federal explosive laws.

Stories without
endings, stories

that defy our imagination,
stories where you

may have that one vital clue.

Next time on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]