All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S12E09.Episode.457.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-AJP69_track3_[eng]

[music playing]

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on
Unsolved Mysteries.

DENNIS FARINA: These formations
are known as crop circles.

They often pop up overnight
in the middle of nowhere.

Many are attributed
to clever pranksters.

Others have no
rational explanation.

Are they the work of some
strange force on Earth

or something not of this world?

Still lonely and heartbroken
from the sudden death

of his beloved wife, Charles
Barker was happy when

a new woman entered his life.

However, his happiness
was to be as short

lived as the relationship.

Ashley Pond or Miranda Gaddis--

same age, same height, same
features, dance teammates,

and neighbors, until
they were snatched off

the street near this Oregon
City apartment complex.

Unspeakable crimes that
have left a small town

gripped with fear and
authorities hunting

for the worst kind of predator.

A violent gang member
reportedly wreaks havoc

on the quiet streets
of Milwaukee,

leaving three
innocent people dead.

Police are asking for your
help in apprehending a suspect

before more lives are lost.

One final piece of
information may be all this

needed to solve the mystery.

Perhaps that someone watching
can help, perhaps it's you.

[theme music]

DENNIS FARINA: Edmonton,
Alberta on the western edge

of the Canadian prairie.

Rusty Manuel and Thelley
Whitman had been driving home

from the city when
they were flagged down

by one of their farm hands.

- Hey.
- Hey.

You all done?

Yeah.

WHITMAN: He said, "You
have a circle in your field."

And I said, "Yes, I know.

The darn animals
they're always lying

down and flattening the grain.

He said, "Oh, no.

It had to be an awfully big
animal to make this circle."

DENNIS FARINA: What Rusty and
Thelley discovered where seven

crop circles pressed into
a thistle and barley,

comprising a formation
about 190 feet long.

THELLEY WHITMAN: It
was just amazing.

What made this?

How could it be made?

What's going on here?

The grain was all
flattened down.

And it almost looked like a
pattern like petals, the way

the grain came out and
then the heads turned back

in towards the center again.

I got hold of the city
police and the city police

did come out.

He was totally amazed.

DENNIS FARINA: Soon after the
startling discovery was made,

the Canadian Crop Circle
Research Network was contacted.

CCCRN is a group of
volunteers dedicated

to gathering information about
the mystery of crop circles.

Judy Arndt is a field researcher
with the organization.

JUDY ARNDT: It looked like a
place had been electrocuted.

The plants were so badly
frazzled, it was just amazing.

Looked like there had been
a huge force of some sort.

So it's over there?

No, over here.

[interposing voices]

JUDY ARNDT: I was
very curious to see

what we could see and look at
the details of the formation.

DENNIS FARINA: Skeptics are
quick to call the whole affair

a hoax, attributing the
work to clever pranksters

like those shown in
this TV documentary.

Well, I'm from a
farming background,

so I know what it looks
like when plants are driven

over or flattened in some way.

So it was very
clear to us that it

hadn't been flattened
by somebody out there

with planks and boards.

You can't do that to thistle.

It was very densely grown.

And it would be very
difficult for anybody

to get in without
leaving tracks behind.

DENNIS FARINA: Paul Anderson,
Director of the CCCRN,

has studied many similar
formations in Western Canada.

Well, anybody can go out with
a board and flatten down wheat.

I could do that,
anyone could do that.

And yet, something you
have to take into account

is it's not just the
formation itself,

but it's the complexity of
how it's actually constructed.

What's even in some of the
ones here in Saskatchewan

we've seen have been
quite elaborate--

like multiple layers going
in different directions,

one on top of the
other and so on.

DENNIS FARINA: Paul
believes another factor

makes it improbable
the so-called Edmonton

circle was a hoax.

Unlike England's mysterious
Stonehenge region

where many crop circles
have been sighted,

Western Canada holds little
of that same mystique.

What would be the point?

Usually when you
hoax something, you

want to claim it after and
make a big fuss about it

and make a name for yourself.

As Judy Arndt
examined the site, she

carefully documented each of the
circles within the formation.

Judy also gathered up
crop and soil samples

for scientific analysis.

JUDY ARNDT: Each
sample is numbered

and there's a corresponding
sample of the grain stalks

and of the soil at that
particular location.

So those are all numbered
and written on a chart.

DENNIS FARINA: The samples
were analyzed by Nancy Talbott

in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Nancy works with a
consortium of scientists

who have studied more
than 350 crop circle cases

from eight different countries.

The three major changes
in plants and the real McCoy

as opposed to man-made crop
circles are no elongation,

expulsion cavities at the nodes,
and germination abnormalities.

DENNIS FARINA: Each
of these conditions

was present in the crop
samples sent from Edmonton.

In other words, both internal
and external characteristics

of the crops were
profoundly altered

in ways that could not
be induced by humans

using ropes and board.

There is a sense that you're
walking into something special.

I have always equated
it to walking--

DENNIS FARINA: Former high
ranking British government

official, Colin
Andrews, has witness

this phenomenon many times.

There's preciseness,
the geometry is precise.

There are no tracks in or out.

The plants are not damaged.

They're bent over.

They're not knuckled or broken.

The plants are changed in
their internal structure

at the cellular level.

You don't find that in the hoax.

DENNIS FARINA: Meanwhile, the
soil samples from the Edmonton

site were sent to Dr.
Sampath Iyengar Dr. Iyengar

is an expert in
material analysis.

We went ahead and
looked at the mineralogy

of the clays using
a technique called

x-ray powder diffraction.

That's the technique that
can be used to identify

the type of place and the
type of various other minerals

that are present in the soil.

DENNIS FARINA: The results
showed a dramatic difference

between the soil samples taken
from inside the crop circle

compared to those taken
from outside the circle.

SAMPATH IYENGAR: This has been
seen by geologists before.

But this is in a geologic time
where several millions of years

plus a lot higher
temperature than what you

would expect in a crop circle.

And this has to be some
kind of a fantastic

synergy or some kind
of laser type of thing

that's causing this change.

And I don't have
any idea what it is.

Do the crop circles
of Western Canada

finally provide conclusive
evidence of unknown forces

at work?

Skeptics say no.

They blame pranksters who
probably take credit for making

80% of these often
complex formations,

creations they call
human land art.

But what about the other 20%?

It's a debate that's been
raging since the mid 1970s

on a wave of crop circles
captured worldwide attention.

The most compelling
question remains unanswered,

if they are not the
work of humans, then who

or what created them and how?

DENNIS FARINA:
Theories range from

geothermal and magnetic forces
to some kind of cosmic energy.

COLIN ANDREWS: We
looked at meteorology.

We looked at Earth energies.

We have that chemical
application of the farmers

and all of them lead to a blank.

It just didn't fit.

What we now know is we
have a solid mystery.

This cannot be explained in the
terms of people making them.

We have many hundreds
that are absolutely

certainly not man-made.

And that is a solid fact.

Things like compasses
will deviate or even

spin if you set
them on the ground

like in the center of a circle.

Things like that which
to me hoaxing simply

doesn't explain
because something has

to be affecting that compass.

Even compasses in airplanes
have been affected

flying over some of these.

I had problems with my own
camera, both on the ground

and in the plane.

Any kind of electrical
equipment will

often just malfunctioned
or go completely

dead inside some of these.

DENNIS FARINA: Perhaps most
intriguing of all the proposed

theories is the one that claims
at least some crop circles are

the work of extraterrestrial.

I was contacted by a young
couple who had been driving

along in the late evening.

So do you have
to work next week?

Uh, maybe.

I think they're going to
call me in even though--

JUDY ARNDT: She was
taking her husband

to work in North Edmonton.

I thought you were going
to have a weekend off?

JUDY ARNDT: He looked out the
window and saw some lights

and rolled down
the window to make

sure it wasn't just reflection
on his passenger side window.

And the lights were still there,
he got quite excited about it.

And asked his wife to pull over.

There were two small
lights, brilliant bluish.

Is that a plane?

No, planes don't
move like that.

JUDY ARNDT: Then
they said these two

lights looked like they were
playing tag with each other.

No one is ever
going to believe this

JUDY ARNDT: And it went on for--

I don't know, 20, 30 seconds.

This sighting occurred
about a week before the crop

circle formation was found.

DENNIS FARINA: Then
a few days later

Rusty Manuel and Thelley Whitman
have their own close encounter.

THELLEY WHITMAN: We
were just approaching

our farm, ad we saw this light.
- What's that?

What?

First, you thought it
was a helicopter because it

moved like a helicopter,
but still there

was no other lights on it.

That is so weird.

I don't know what that is.

THELLEY WHITMAN:
It was just bright

and it would just hover over
the field and sort of move

off and then come back again.

Oh my god, I've never
seen anything like that.

I tried to picture it
as being an aircraft.

But it was too much too
big for an aircraft.

That's no airplane.

No.

And it just seemed
like it passed

over the back end of
the pickup and it just

disappeared it just so fast.

DENNIS FARINA: Was
there a connection

between the strange
lights in the sky

and the sudden appearance
of the Edmonton crop

circles just days later?

Seth Shostak, a
senior astronomer

at the SETI Institute--

an acronym meaning The
Search for Extraterrestrial

Intelligence.

Seth and his colleagues
explore the heavens

for any sign of life.

I believe that the
aliens are out there.

But I don't think that
they're visiting here.

The fact that so many people
feel that there may be

something unusual going
on here-- crop circles,

UFOs, and so forth--

I think this speaks a
psychological need that we all

have to believe that
there are some powers

that we don't understand.

And after all it's
much more interesting

to think that this
pattern in the weed

here was graffiti from
beings from another world

than to think that
it was students

from the local university.

That's not a terribly
interesting story.

DENNIS FARINA: But
what about crop

circles that simply defy logic?

Formations that show no
sign of human intervention.

That certainly seemed to
be the case in Red Deer

Alberta not far from Edmonton.

According to a
stunned local farmer,

this giant Star
of David formation

literally appeared overnight
in one of his field.

It measured an incredible
422 feet across.

Still skeptics like
Seth Shostak believe

it's all smoke and mirrors.

When I go to a stage
show in Las Vegas,

and I see these grand illusions
produced by these magicians,

I don't understand
how they're all done.

In fact, I don't understand
how most of them are done.

And I could assume some unknown
physical force is involved.

This would be terribly
important if it were

true about the crop circles.

But the facts are
that to say that they

are made by something other
than humans is a radical--

a revolutionary claim.

And consequently I'm not going
to be swayed by what amounts

to very anecdotal evidence.

It's got to be better than that.

I don't think we
need, necessarily,

to be talking or
trying to prove that it

is or isn't extraterrestrial.

I don't know that either.

What I know is what
I'm looking at that

has arrived in our fields.

Something knows what
it's doing here.

There is intelligence
of some sort.

And I know they're not
all made by people.

Over the past three
decades, researchers

have compiled a
database that includes

more than 10,000 crop circle
reports from around the world.

If 8,000 of these
strange formations

can be attributed
to pranksters, that

still leaves more than 2,000
that are simply unexplained.

Hello?

Yeah, um, I'd like to put
an ad in the personals.

For a week.

Single, white female, 47--

DENNIS FARINA: August 1998,
a woman calling herself

Dieanna Ray decided to place
an ad in the personals section

of a Louisiana newspaper.

I'm honest and
hardworking and seeking

a compatible single,
white male, 45 to 55

to enjoy life together.

Dieanna Ray was
hardly being honest.

According to
authorities, Dieanna

was a drifter who hitchhiked
around the country

looking for her next mark--

a lonely man to latch on to
and drain his bank account.

In fact, her real name
was not Dieanna at all.

It was Hazel Liotta Head.

A man named Charles
Barker would have

been interested in any
one of these details

if he had only known.

DENNIS FARINA: Charles
Barker had recently

suffered through the
devastating sudden loss

of his wife of 10 years.

JENNIFER SPOONTS: She was
killed by a drunk driver.

It was a settlement
out of court.

And he came into a lot of money.

But after she died,
it just seemed

like he kind of fell apart.

He didn't know what to
do with himself, I think.

He was depressed but
then later on, it's like he

snapped out of it and
wanted to do things--

go fishing and travel.

He bought a Winnebago, a boat.

I guess that's when
the loneliness set in,

he didn't like doing
them by himself.

DENNIS FARINA: The
riverboat casinos operating

on the Red River in
Bossier City, Louisiana

became Charles Barker's
latest diversion.

All right.

All right!

DENNIS FARINA:
Although, he probably

believed he and Dieanna
became acquainted by chance,

given her track
record, she undoubtedly

orchestrated the meeting.

This seat taken?

Well, it is now, isn't it?

It is.

I just took it.

Yeah, you did.

Charles Barker carried pretty
large amounts of cash with him.

Hazel would have
almost certainly

noticed that because
she'd be looking

for those kinds of things.

You look like you're doing
pretty good over there.

ED BASWELL: And so he would
have become a target for her.

You know what?

I might ask you to help me
because I'm not doing too good

here.

Well, your hand looks
pretty good right now.

Let's see.

DENNIS FARINA: They shared
a whirlwind romance.

And less than a year after
the death of his wife

and within days of
their initial meeting,

Hazel Head moved in
with Charles Barker.

Here we are.

It's so adorable!

I love it!

JENNIFER SPOONTS: Dad told me
he'd met a woman in a casino.

I didn't think anything of it.

I just hoped he was happy and
I don't want to see him alone.

I thought maybe she would
be a good companion for him.

And evidently he was
happy with her for a while

because he would call
me and say he liked her.

You gone carry me
over the threshold?

Well, I'm going to
give it one good old try,

I'll tell you that much.

He needed someone,
some companionship.

He didn't like to be alone.

So you're looking really
good, Dad, tell about this--

DENNIS FARINA: One weekend,
Jennifer made the nine hour

drive from her
Austin, Texas home

to meet her father's
new girlfriend.

Hey, sugar, I'm
all out of ammo.

Oh, hun.

Dieanna, I want you to
be my daughter, Jennifer.

Oh, hi.

Jennifer, Dieanna.

Nice to meet you

Boy--

JENNIFER SPOONTS:
When I first met her,

she was in a casino with my dad.

So are you from around here?

DENNIS FARINA: She
wasn't a real presentable

woman, just no class.

She looked like a bar fly.

I was suspicious of her.

I knew she wasn't right for him.

Daddy, what's going on?

You do not sound--

DENNIS FARINA: A short time
later, even Charles apparently

began to share that opinion.

One big old messy
situation here.

DENNIS FARINA: According
to his daughter Cindy,

Charles admitted he was
troubled in a phone conversation

but declined to reveal
what his problems were.

Daddy, I can help
you with this, please.

Sweetheart, listen to me.

Trust me here, next week we'll
together and I promise you.

And I'll sit down with
you and I'll tell you--

CINDY JEFFERSON: When
my dad called me,

he just sounded so different,
and he started crying.

And I've never heard
my dad cry or anything.

But he told me he'd
call me in two or three

days, everything would be OK and
let me know what was going on.

DENNIS FARINA: But that
explanation never came.

Shortly afterward, Jennifer
tried calling her father

to arrange another visit.

And I'd been trying to
phone him for the whole week.

[phone ringing]

JENNIFER SPOONTS: And no answer
and I finally called my aunt.

And she said we'll go back
there and check on him.

DENNIS FARINA: Charles Barker's
sister, June, and her husband

drove over to see if
there was a problem.

Charlie?

Charlie!

June Stringer and
her husband noticed

that the front door
of the residence

is open, so they
proceed further.

The husband looks
in and sees Mr.

Barker slumped over the bar.

[screams]

DENNIS FARINA:
Charles Barker had

been dead for five days,
killed by a single gunshot

to the head.

As investigators
comb the crime scene,

several observations were made.

ED BASWELL: Our detectives
found no sign of a struggle.

They did not find the house
that had been ransacked.

Mr. Barker had a 25
caliber Raven Arms pistol

that he kept in his residence.

There were no prints
found on the gun,

but the ballistics evidence
indicates that that

was the weapon that was used.

Mr. Barker had a safe that
he kept in his bedroom.

The safe was opened when
investigators arrived.

DENNIS FARINA: Except
for Charles Barker's

personal papers, it was empty.

I know for a fact that my
dad always kept money in there.

And at that time, I believe he
probably had $45,000, at least,

in that safe.

DENNIS FARINA: Also missing
was Charles Barker's Lincoln

Town Car and his girlfriend.

ED BASWELL: Mr. Barker's
vehicle was found the next day

after his body was discovered.

It was found near the airport.

Inside the car where
pieces of clothing

that belonged to Hazel.

Also found in the
car was DNA evidence,

physical evidence, that
we believe definitely

links her to the car.

We believe she is the one that
took the car from his residence

and drove it to that
spot near the airport.

DENNIS FARINA: A background
check on Hazel Head

revealed that she'd been
married as many as 10 times

and was known to use more
than a dozen aliases.

There was also an outstanding
warrant for her arrest

in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Hazel Head had
allegedly burned down

her boyfriend's mobile home
then fled before standing trial.

Did Hazel Head
murder Charles Barker

and escape with an
unknown amount of cash?

Had this been her plan
from the very beginning?

ED BASWELL: Our
investigators theorize

that Mr. Barker was probably at
the bar reading the newspaper.

Hazel came out of the bedroom
with the gun, the 25 caliber.

He didn't realize that
she was behind him.

We believe that
Mr. Barker probably

never knew what hit him.

DENNIS FARINA: But was hazel
had plotting yet another scam

even while she we're still
living with Charles Barker?

HAZEL HEAD (ON TAPE RECORDER):
Hi, my name is Dieanna Ray.

DENNIS FARINA: Louisiana
authorities subsequently

recovered a recording of
a personals ad she placed

shortly before his murder.

This is Hazel Head
in her own voice--

lonely men everywhere beware.

HAZEL HEAD (ON TAPE
RECORDER): And looking

for a single white
male between 45 to 55.

I like to have a good
time, enjoy life,

and just be all around happy.

DENNIS FARINA: Hazel head is
known to frequent truck stops,

often hitching rides
from town to town.

Hi, head you say you
were going to Dallas.

DENNIS FARINA:
Investigators believes

she easily blends
into that environment

and never stays
long in one place.

Hazel Head a very
street smart woman.

She flies below radar.

To track Hazel Head
is very difficult.

She becomes almost like a ghost.

It's like she's
here and she's gone.

But it must not be forgotten
that she is a dangerous person,

that she might have killed even
before Mr. Barker was murdered.

She may have killed since.

She has a dark side to her.

DENNIS FARINA: Hazel Head stands
five feet, two inches tall.

She has a scar
near her right eye

and a gap between
her front teeth.

Head is wanted for the first
degree murder of Charles Barker

and should be
considered dangerous.

Oregon City, Oregon is a
small blue collar town of 27,000

people just south of Portland.

A friendly place where
adults trust their neighbors

and children play without
fear, but suddenly, everything

changed.

Over a six week
period, two young girls

vanished without a trace.

Setting in motion
one of the most

complex and unusual
investigations

state authorities
have ever encountered.

DENNIS FARINA: Nestled
among the hills

of Oregon City sits Newell
Creek Village Apartments.

The complex includes
125 units and is home

to more than 325
residents, including

Lori Pond and her
12-year-old daughter, Ashley.

Ashley, you better hurry up.

You're going to be late.

Coming, Mom.

DENNIS FARINA: January
9th, 2002, Ashley

was running late as usual.

It was a little after
8:00 AM and she had only

a few minutes to catch the bus.

Love you, bye.

Love you too.

DENNIS FARINA: The walk up
the hill to the bus stop

took less than 10 minutes.

Ashley was a popular
student and member of both

the swimming and dance teams.

On that Wednesday, she
was looking forward

to practice after class.

Lori Pond expected to hear
from her daughter by 6:15 PM.

When she didn't Lori became
worried and called the school.

LORI POND: The dance
coach answered.

She said, "No,
Ashley wasn't there."

I said, "Well, can
you ask the kids?

Maybe they saw her."

And they said no.

And they said they hadn't
even seen her in school.

And that's where I
went, this is wrong.

Something's wrong because
Ashley would not have done that

and she would have called me.

Now, when was
Ashley last seen.

DENNIS FARINA: Lori
immediately contacted

the Oregon City police.

She told the officer
none of Ashley's clothes

or personal belongings
was missing.

Things she was sure her
daughter would have taken

had she run away.

I sleep that night at all.

I just thought
maybe she would come

home and knock on the door, or
whatever, but she never did.

DENNIS FARINA: The
police concluded

there might be a child
abductor on the loose

and opened an investigation.

Detectives first talk with
some of Ashley's classmates.

They said she never
got on the bus.

Next, police canvassed the
entire apartment complex

looking for leads or
possible suspects.

They found neither.

GORDON HUIRAS: The
investigators have

been able to search every
apartment within that complex--

including crawlspaces
and attic spaces--

and are confident that there
was nothing there to see.

DENNIS FARINA: The
search expanded,

hundreds of volunteers
combed the surrounding area.

While detectives
questioned Ashley's father,

looked into Ashley's
internet activity

and checked out lists
of known sex offenders.

Again, no clues, no suspects,
and no sign of Ashley.

Detectives then
contacted the FBI.

CHARLES MATHEWS: We moved
to the larger community

around the apartment complex.

We've been through the school.

We've talked to individual
students who were associates.

We've talked to teachers.

We've talked to administrators.

We talked to the
school as a whole.

DENNIS FARINA: More dead ends.

And still the same
fundamental question

remained unanswered, what
had happen to Ashley Pond

between 8:05 AM and 8:15 AM.

It's really hard to
believe that happened to one

your friends or something.

DENNIS FARINA: Meanwhile,
13-year-old Miranda Gaddis,

Ashley's neighbor
and dance teammate,

found herself in the middle
of an intense investigation.

How are you doing, Miranda?

Hi.

Can you tell me how long
you've actually known Ashley?

Since about third grade.

MICHELLE DUFFEY: The FBI
talked to Miranda a lot

about Ashley because they'd
known each other for so long.

They were friends and
I'm sure that they knew

pretty much the same people.

DENNIS FARINA: Days
turned to weeks,

still no sign of Ashley Pond.

And life at the
apartment complex

became somewhat normal again.

Good morning.

Morning, Mom.

DENNIS FARINA: March
8th 2002, Michelle Duffy

packed up for work as usual.

It was 7:30 AM.

Her daughter Miranda
was in no hurry.

She still had 45 minutes
before the school bus arrived.

Police believe Miranda
left her apartment

a little after
8:00 AM and headed

up the hill for the bus stop.

Hi, this is Michelle.

MICHELLE DUFFEY: About
1:20, my oldest daughter

called me and said
Miranda's friend

said she wasn't at school.

So of course I called
home no one answered.

Then I called the school, and
the school said "Oh, yeah.

She's absent."

And then I got very upset.

Oh my god, something's wrong.

Thank you.

No, no, thank you.

MICHELLE DUFFEY: Then I
went to the police station.

And they took the report and
started right then on the case.

Everybody's reaction was the
same of oh my god, not again.

DENNIS FARINA: Minutes
later, police race

to the apartment complex hoping
against hope Miranda Gaddis

would show up.

She didn't.

We notified the
FBI and immediately

ratcheted up just a full scale
investigation and search.

Well, when I heard Miranda
had came up missing also,

my heart dropped
into my stomach,

and I cried because I was
like reliving the day Ashley

came up missing all over again.

DENNIS FARINA: The
circumstances surrounding

Miranda's disappearance
on March 8th, 2002

were eerily similar to those of
Ashley Pond two months earlier.

Even more ominous was
a striking resemblance

between the two girls.

They're about the
same height and weight

and both have brown eyes.

CHARLES MATHEWS: We've
got a mirror image

of a victim and an occurrence.

It is almost as if the same
child disappeared twice,

and it was just a repeat.

DENNIS FARINA: Like Ashley,
Miranda usually took the road

up the hill to catch the bus.

Had she been snatched by
a stranger on the way?

Had Ashley met a similar fate?

It's feasible, if we're
dealing with a stranger

abduction-- that
Ashley's disappearance

was a crime of opportunity
at that one moment in time.

And that the offender,
having been successful,

came back to the same
area to do it again.

DENNIS FARINA: A
crime of opportunity

committed by a stranger?

It was certainly plausible, but
the mothers of the two girls

found it highly unlikely.

They both would have put up a
stink if somebody tried to take

them that they didn't know.

If someone grabbed Miranda
she would have fought

and there would have been
something laying in the road.

DENNIS FARINA: Without
an apparent crime scene,

police began to
focus on another,

perhaps more likely theory.

CHARLES MATHEWS: There's
nothing to indicate there was

any struggle or any resistance.

There's no blood, no articles
of clothing or anything

of that nature.

So we also have the possibility
we're dealing with somebody

that both of them knew.

DENNIS FARINA: Since the
disappearance of Ashley Pond

and Miranda Gaddis, the school
bus now picks up students

right outside their doors.

However, residents of Newell
Creek Village Apartments,

indeed all of Oregon
city, remain on edge.

Terrified that a child
abductor walks among them.

CHARLES MATHEWS: This is the
type of the center that doesn't

stop on their own volition.

This type of multiple
sexual predator

is someone that, at least
in the general experience,

dictates that they will
continue until they're stopped.

Investigators are
processed over 3,500 tips,

still they have no suspects.

However, the search continues
for any lead that might help

correct these puzzling cases.

Meanwhile, two hard
working single mothers

suffer through every
parent's nightmare

and try their best
to remain hopeful.

Miranda, I love you and
your family loves you,

your friends love you and
everyone misses you And.

We want you home.

And whoever has you, we're
never going to give up.

We're going to be here forever.

I can't wait
for the day that I

can wrap my arms around Ashley
again and tell her I love her.

DENNIS FARINA: Update--
on August 27th, 2002,

the desperate search for
Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis

ended tragically at
a neighbor's house

just a few hundred yards from
where the girls were last seen.

The remains of
Miranda Gaddis were

found in a shed in the backyard
of Ward Weaver's rented home.

Two days later in
the same backyard,

investigators broke up a
concrete slab to unearth

the body of Ashley Pond.

When the gruesome
discovery was made,

the 39-year-old Weaver was in
custody charged with raping

his son's girlfriend.

He is being held on
a $1 million bond.

Weaver is expected to be charged
in the deaths of the two girls.

[music playing]

The south side of Milwaukee
is home to hundreds of law

abiding blue collar families.

Not long ago this
peaceful neighborhood

was invaded by a vicious
gang of drug dealers

known as the Lopez Family.

Allegedly, the gangs
principal enforcer

is 20-year-old Arthur
Lopez Jr. Police believe

Arthur is behind a
bloody wave of terror

that has left three people dead
and countless lives destroyed.

Hopefully, someone watching
can help authorities

find Arthur Lopez Jr.

DENNIS FARINA: The
Lopez family reportedly

bought seven houses
in a two block radius

to oversee their drug empire.

[speaking spanish]

What's up, homie?

DENNIS FARINA: When a rival gang
called the Latin Kings tried

to move into their area,
authorities believe the Lopez's

did not hesitate to act.

Vamos.

[tires screeching]

[gunshots]

DENNIS FARINA: Anyone
who gets in their way

reportedly has to face
this man, Arthur Jr.,

the alleged hit man
for the Lopez Family.

Carlos Hernandez was once a
member of the Latin Kings.

But according to
his family, Carlos

had recently left the gang
and turned his life around.

He just seen
drive-bys and he started

to see how very rarely do they
hit their intended target.

They'll hit innocent
bystanders--

kids playing on their bikes
in front of their houses.

He knew it was a possibility
that could happen to anybody.

And he felt best that
he'd get out of the gang

and turn it around
and really try

to help the neighborhood
come back to what it was once

was before.

DENNIS FARINA: Carlos Hernandez
organized a youth basketball

league and took a job with
a city organization that

helps kids stay out of gangs.

A major part of
his job was to try

and mediate problems between the
gangs in that particular area.

So what do you think, Bob?

These fools are taking
all our business.

DAVE KLABUNDE: The
Lopez family had

come to Mr. Hernandez with a
problem with the Latin Kings

over territory.

DENNIS FARINA: Police
believe that Hernandez

failed to resolve
the Lopez's turf

dispute with the Latin Kings.

Arthur Lopez Jr. was
allegedly given the order

to take care of Hernandez.

According to witnesses, Arthur
Lopez Jr. And several family

members surrounded the building
where Carlos Hernandez worked.

There was a predetermined
code that they

were going to
broadcast on the radio

when Mr. Hernandez was spotted.

The code was "it's a beautiful
day in the neighborhood."

And that code was
put out when Mr.

Hernandez left from his
business to his vehicle.

It's a beautiful day
in the neighborhood.

DENNIS FARINA: At
4:30 PM, authorities

believe Arthur Lopez Jr. Donned
a mask, hopped on a bike,

and coasted toward the
unsuspecting Hernandez.

[gunshots]

DENNIS FARINA: Carlos Hernandez
was hit by eight bullets

and died instantly.

It was a nightmare.

We miss him.

We wish it had never happened.

The hardest part is at family
gatherings, seeing my sisters

and my mother cry
because he's not there.

DENNIS FARINA: Although,
Arthur Lopez Jr. was a suspect

in Hernandez's homicide,
police had little evidence

against him or his family.

Then Arthur made a
seemingly harmless mistake.

Arthur Lopez was arrested for
driving without a license.

While he was being
processed, police

received an unexpected visitor.

Why you harassing my son?

DENNIS FARINA: Arthur's father,
Arturo Sr., second in command

of the low family.

Calm down, Mr. Lopez.

Why you sweating my kid?

Because of me?

Because of who I am?

Arturo Lopez Sr. demanded
the release of his son

and threatened to
return with a firearm

and to kill all the police
officers who were involved

in Arthur Lopez Jr.'s arrest.

I ought get my strap
and smoke all of you.

- You're under arrest!
- Fuck you!

You're first!

DENNIS FARINA: Arthur
Lopez Jr. could

not be held on the
misdemeanor traffic charge

and was released.

But Arturo Sr. was convicted
of threatening a police officer

and sentenced to
18 months in jail.

His incarceration gave the
authorities the opportunity

they've been looking for.

DAVE KLABUNDE: While Arturo
Lopez Sr. was in prison

he made daily phone
calls to his son

and other members
of the Lopez Family

basically directing
that continued

narcotics distribution
activities of the low gang.

He's going to
give you a packet.

I want you to drop it
off at Chino's pad.

DAVE KLABUNDE: All
of these phone calls

that were made by
Arturo Lopez Sr.

were recorded by the
prison phone system.

So there are recorded copies
of all the conversations

from both ends of the telephone.

DENNIS FARINA: As
authorities continue

to build their case against
the Lopez's that was

yet another violent outburst.

Once again according to
witnesses, Arthur Lopez Jr.

played a principal role.

GANGSTER: That's that
punk ass right there.

He's clear, man.

He's clear.

Come on.

DENNIS FARINA: On August
11th, Maximillano Costillo,

a known member of the Latin
Kings and his girlfriend,

Vanessa Rivas, returned
home after a quick trip

to the grocery store.

A car was shadowing the couple.

All right, I'm going.

DENNIS FARINA: Police believe
that the driver was Arthur

Lopez Jr. and that his
passenger was another Lopez

gang member named Luis Acevedo.

Hey, you Max?

- Que paso, homes?
- Que paso, bro?

I got a message
from a friend, bro.

Yeah?

So what's up?

You a dead man, punk!

[gunshots]

DENNIS FARINA: Vanessa Rivas,
a completely innocent bystander

who had just celebrated
her 15th birthday,

was unable to escape
the rain of bullets.

We know that Vanessa Rivas
was hit once in the side.

The bullet did a lot
of damage and she

basically bled to death.

Mr. Costillo was struck
a number of times,

at least three times by the
bullets fired by Mr. Acevedo.

And he also died
from his injuries.

DENNIS FARINA: In
the ensuing months,

authorities used
Arturo's Sr. taped

phone calls and
eyewitness testimony

to secure arrest warrants
against Arthur Lopez

Jr. and the rest of his family.

On December 15th, a
multi-jurisdictional task force

moved to put the Lopez gang
out of business for good.

[shouting]

Get your hands up!

- Get them up!
- On your knees!

DENNIS FARINA: Large stashes
of guns, drugs, and money

were seized.

[speaking spanish]

Speak English or don't speak!

DENNIS FARINA: Eight
individuals were

arrested, destroying
the gang's ability

to terrorize the community.

Only one Lopez
family member managed

to escape the citywide
dragnet, Arthur

Lopez Jr. He has now avoided
arrest for nearly two years.

He's got to pay.

He's done so much hurt
too many people families.

And he's a coward.

He's hiding.

We need We need to get him.

Get him off the streets.

[music playing]

For every mystery,
there is someone,

somewhere who holds the key.

Join me for the next edition
of Unsolved Mysteries.