All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S05E22.480p.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.

Tonight, two unusual mysteries
to commemorate the spirit

of the Easter season.

She is known around the world
as Our Lady of Guadalupe,

a beautiful likeness
of the Virgin Mary

on an old piece of cactus cloth.

For centuries,
religious pilgrims

have come to Mexico City
to pray to the image, which

many believe was
created by a miracle.

For just as long, scholars
and skeptics have pondered,

is Our Lady of Guadalupe
a work of God or of man?

In the 1950s, master
illustrator Ben Stahl

created 15 unique
paintings to celebrate

the final journey of Christ.

But just after Easter in
1969, a gang of brazen thieves

made off with the
precious collection that

left Ben Stahl heartbroken.

Ben Stahl passed away in 1987,
having no idea what happened

to his beloved collection.

Tonight, his children hope
that someone in our audience

can help recover their
father's lost legacy.

Join me for this
intriguing case, as well

as these fascinating mysteries.

On Friday the 13th,
1991, Tom Roche

dropped his
girlfriend at her job

and then vanished
without a trace.

Six days later, an anonymous
letter boasted that Tom

Roche had been murdered.

Near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
a dark, lonely road,

a minor traffic accident,
a brutal attack.

Now authorities need your
help to identify a killer.

And thanks to our viewers,
a family in Canada

is reunited with two brothers
missing for nearly 25 years.

[theme music]

Since the mid 19th
century, religious pilgrims

from around the world have
journeyed to the French village

of Lourdes.

Since just before
the first World War,

hundreds of thousands
have traveled

to the Portuguese
farmlands of Fatima.

And in recent
years, millions have

come to Medjugorje in the
former Republic of Yugoslavia.

Many people believe these
three communities have shared

a remarkable occurrence--

the miraculous appearance
of the Virgin Mary,

mother of Jesus Christ.

But for centuries, long before
pilgrims flocked to Lourdes,

Fatima, and Medjugorje, they
had been coming to Mexico City

to worship Our
Lady of Guadalupe,

an image of the Virgin Mary on a
6-foot-high peasant's cape made

of rough cactus cloth,
which many people claim

was imprinted by
the Virgin herself.

For more than 400 years,
Our Lady of Guadalupe

has inspired and moved millions.

Long a centerpiece
of Catholic history,

the image has also sparked
intense controversy.

To skeptics, it is
a skillful painting,

impressive but hardly wondrous.

On the other hand, the
church has officially

recognized the image
as a creation of God,

a miracle which
occurred in 16th century

Mexico, when Catholic
missionaries from Spain

were attempting to convert
the native Aztec Indians.

According to church
records, there

was a man named Juan
Diego, who lived

with his uncle in a
village 5 miles north

of what is now Mexico City.

Juan was one of the first Aztecs
converted to Christianity.

On a December morning
in 1531, Juan Diego

was on his way to mass
when he passed by the base

of a hill called Tepeyac.

As he approached
the summit, Juan

heard a voice call his name.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Juan.

Juanito.

ROBERT STACK: He was
instantly overwhelmed

by a godlike radiance.

ROBERT STACK: Certain that
he had experienced a miracle,

Juan journeyed
straight to Mexico

City, then the seat of
the Roman Catholic Church

in the new world.

He patiently waited several
hours for an audience

with Bishop Zumarraga, known
as a powerful but gentle

man who treated the Indians
with kindness and respect.

ROBERT STACK: The
bishop was skeptical.

Perhaps Juan had been
dreaming, or perhaps drinking.

He told Juan to bring him proof.

Dejected, Juan returned home.

But the next day, he
would be given his proof.

His uncle fell gravely
ill and Juan went to fetch

a priest to perform last rites.

His route took him back to
the base of Tepeyac Hill.

ROBERT STACK: Now Juan became
filled with doubts of his own.

Tepeyac was barren from
the cold of winter,

and if flowers had
once been there,

they would certainly
not be blooming now.

To Juan's astonishment,
the hilltop

was blanketed with
brilliant roses of Castile.

Juan gathered them in
his tilma, a loose cape

made of cactus cloth.

ROBERT STACK: According
to church documents, where

the flowers had
rested in the tilma,

there appeared an extraordinary
image of the Virgin Mary.

The bishop now believed
that a miracle had occurred,

that Juan Diego had
indeed seen and spoken

with the mother of God.

After Juan Diego's vision,
millions of Indians

converted to Roman Catholicism
within just three years.

In accordance with
the Virgin's wishes,

this shrine was soon
built on Tepeyac Hill,

with the image on
prominent display.

It was named Our
Lady of Guadalupe

after a village in Spain.

Over the centuries, the
church allowed painted details

to be added to the
portrait, including

gold rays, a cherub,
and the green, red,

and white colors of Mexico.

Since 1976, the image has been
housed in a special basilica.

Every year, 5 million
believers make pilgrimages.

But for as long
as it has existed,

there has been debate over
whether the portrait is truly

a miracle.

Jody Smith, an
associate professor

of philosophy at
a Florida college,

is a leading authority
on the image.

But Smith is hardly the
first scholar to be intrigued

by Our Lady of Guadalupe.

As early as 1666, the
church commissioned a group

of physicians and master
artist Juan Salguero

to inspect the Virgin's image.

JODY SMITH: Juan Salguero
concluded that the painting was

indeed on unsized or
unprepared or unsealed cloth,

and for that reason alone--

others also appearing.

But for that reason alone,
given that the cloth was made

of the fragile
[inaudible] cactus fiber,

it should have long
since disintegrated.

ROBERT STACK: James Randy
is a professional magician

and an investigator of
paranormal phenomena.

As a matter of
fact, I have a frame

with some of the same
kind of cloth in it

that dates back about 450,
550 years at least, from Peru.

Different country.

Perhaps a different cactus.

The tilma cloth is
very fragile, but not

when it's put in a frame.

It can last for
the longest time.

ROBERT STACK: For the
first hundred years,

the tilma had been exposed to a
high concentration of saltpeter

in the humid air where
it was on display.

Some experts believe this
alone should have caused

the image's disintegration.

That point was dramatically
demonstrated in 1789,

when a skeptical priest
ordered 11 artists to render

11 copies of the painting
using the same kind

of unsized cactus cloth.

In just seven years,
all 11 were so

peeled and coated with
fungus that they had to be

removed from public display.

PHILIP CALLAHAN: I think that
the fact that the images lasted

for almost 500 years now;
the fact that the tilma,

which is a cactus
plant, hasn't rotted;

and the fact that the
original picture--

the pigment on the
original picture--

is still just like it always
was-- it hasn't cracked--

is another totally
inexplicable thing.

ROBERT STACK: In May of 1979,
Jody Smith and Philip Callahan

were given formal permission
to examine the image up close,

its protective glass removed.

The gold rays around the Virgin
added in the 17th century

were badly chipped,
but the original image

of the face and body
remain remarkably

bright and uncracked.

JODY SMITH: Naturally
enough, we examined

the face most intensely.

And studying this with
a magnifying glass,

we could see no hairline cracks.

Whatever the medium
used to color it was,

it's very strange
because, after all

of these years with no
evidence of retouching,

there's no evidence
of age disfiguration.

It's gone through so many
changes over the years,

of course, and so many
different representations

have been made of it and
for it that it's really hard

to tell what happened
to the original

or if this is the original.

You can't tell.

There's really so little
evidence available.

ROBERT STACK: These
infrared photographs reveal

another surprising aspect--

the lack of an undersketch.

An undersketch would
indicate that the image had

been painted by human hands.

The film photographs--
the infrared

photographs showed that there is
absolutely no drawing under it.

It's inconceivable that an
artist in the 16th century

would paint a portrait without
first doing a drawing of it.

In fact, it's fairly
inconceivable any artists would

do it today, although you could
do it with some modern art

thing, but not with a portrait.

ROBERT STACK: The
practice of making

a rough sketch before proceeding
with a portrait traces

back to antiquity.

Only when completely
satisfied with the undersketch

did an artist take
up his paintbrush.

Of course, the absence of
the undersketch in itself

does not categorically
indicate a miracle.

But to paint as beautiful
a face and bust as we

see in Our Lady of Guadalupe
on a rough cactus cloth

is all the more remarkable.

PHILIP CALLAHAN: This
thing is miraculous

because God willed this to
take place among a people who

needed some sort of message.

It took place at a time
when it was needed,

and it took place
because God made

nature and God can manipulate
nature any way He wants.

The essential idea in
studying the image of Guadalupe

is that we might
find something alien,

something supernatural, and that
remains an open possibility.

But it is by no means
the only possibility.

ROBERT STACK: Perhaps no
amount of scientific research

can unlock the mystery of the
image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

For true believers,
there is no controversy.

As they have for centuries,
pilgrims will continue to pray

and offer thanks to the image.

To them, the beautiful face
of the Virgin Mary is purely

and simply something
of miraculous wonder.

When we return, the
search for an artist's

precious lost legacy--

15 painting depicting
the final days of Christ.

In "The Gospel According
to John," it is written,

"so then Pilate took
Jesus and scourged him.

And the soldiers twisted
a crown of thorns,

and they put it on his head.

And he, bearing
his cross, went out

to a place called Golgotha."

The Bible movingly recounts
the story of the crucifixion.

Its power is undeniable.

These compelling images,
which illustrate the story,

are the life's work of
American artist Ben Stahl.

There are 15 paintings
in all, depicting

the 14 stations of the
cross and the Resurrection.

Sadly, the public has not
been able to view these works

for nearly 25 years.

It happened 10 days
after Easter in 1969.

Ben Stahl's beloved
collection was stolen.

Stahl died in 1987, still
mourning the loss of the works

he considered his masterpieces.

Tonight, Ben Stahl's
children hope

that they can find
their father's lost

paintings in time for Easter.

They feel that would be the
most fitting and most moving

tribute they could give him.

Ben Stahl was born
in Chicago in 1910.

Even as a young man,
he enjoyed a reputation

as a skilled artist for
books and magazines.

Norman Rockwell once wrote
in a letter to Stahl,

"the rest of us are
just illustrators,

but you are among the masters."

In 1954, the Catholic Press
commissioned Ben Stahl

to paint the
stations of the cross

for a special papal
edition of the Bible.

The 14 small paintings were
such a resounding success

that Ben Stahl
decided to duplicate

them on a grander scale.

REGINA STAHL BRISKEY:
Over the years,

my father would get
letters from people

all over the world
wanting to see them

and wondering where they were.

So I guess my
parents got together

and decided to build a museum.

And Daddy would paint a new set.

And Daddy also added
the 15th painting,

which was the Resurrection.

DAVID STAHL: He spent two
years painting these paintings.

There was something very special
going on while he was painting

these paintings because when
he did the face of Christ

or the head of Christ, he pulled
it off in 30, 40 brushstrokes

without ever having
to do it over again.

And he was really
amazed at that.

ROBERT STACK: In
November of 1966,

Ben Stahl opened the Museum of
the Cross in Sarasota, Florida

to house a second
set of paintings.

MALE SPEAKER: The mob
seems to pull back.

And even the Roman
soldiers do not

intrude themselves into this--

DAVID STAHL: It was
almost holy, just

the atmosphere at the museum.

And people would come out
with tears in their eyes.

It was very moving
for a lot of people.

ROBERT STACK: But
on April 17, 1969,

Ben Stahl's world
came crashing down.

Responding to a frantic phone
call from the museum director,

Stahl found the
galleries ransacked.

All 15 paintings
had been stolen.

Ben Stahl was inconsolable.

Daddy.

REGINA STAHL
BRISKEY: He found it

absolutely incredible that this
kind of thing could happen.

After all, who would
steal religious paintings

in the first place?

And such large paintings.

Where-- who-- what
could you do with them?

He had a lot of
trust in people.

Insurance was very expensive,
but he didn't have any.

There were no burglar
alarms or anything

like that because of his trust.

So when the place was robbed,
he was in total shock.

ROBERT STACK: Police discovered
that the thieves had entered

the museum in a brazen fashion,
breaking through the fire door.

They were somehow aware that
neither a security guard nor

an alarm system was in place.

Instead of cutting
the canvases out,

the thieves painstakingly
removed each staple,

then rolled the paintings
up and made a clean getaway.

JOHN TOWNSEND: There had to be
at least three to four people

to do this.

And we felt that they
were probably in there

a minimum of four hours.

ROBERT STACK: The investigation
seemed to be at a dead end.

Then, six weeks after
the theft, a man

claiming to be a
Catholic priest called

the Sarasota Sheriff's Office.

He said he had been
approached by the people

who stole the paintings.

Hey, father.

Yes?

You want the paintings?

Paintings?

Yeah.

You know, the paintings?

Paintings in Sarasota?

Yeah, that's right.
Stay right there, father.

JOHN TOWNSEND: Of
course we were elated.

This was a break after all
these weeks of investigation.

ROBERT STACK: However, this
lead, too, failed to pan out.

The priest would
not give his name,

and eventually he
broke off contact.

What happened to Ben
Stahl's paintings?

Over the years,
[inaudible] placed

the collection in the
Bahamas or in South

America, possibly Brazil.

The authorities, however,
believe that the paintings are

still somewhere in
the United States

and that whoever
has them now may

not even know they are stolen.

Recently, we went
to Canada to bring

you the story of one
of that country's

great national tragedies.

For 20 years, through a
well-meaning but misguided

social welfare system, thousands
of Ojibwe Indian children

were taken from their families
and their reservations

to be put up for adoption.

In the segment, we
profiled the Seaton family

of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Is your mommy or daddy home?

ROBERT STACK: In
1969, the six children

were taken from their home
by government social workers.

We've come to take you away
to somewhere where someone can

take care of you, all right?

ROBERT STACK: Sandra Seaton,
the oldest, was just nine.

SANDRA SEATON HENRY:
It happened so fast.

They just come in, and they
don't really explain anything.

They just picked up the kids
and put them in the car.

It was real scary
not knowing where

they were going to be taken.

You kind of go a
little dead inside

or something because you just--

we were all just kids.

ROBERT STACK: At
a court hearing,

a judge ordered that all
six children be put up

for adoption, but
Sandra never gave up

trying to reunite her family.

By 1988, she had found her
two sisters, her mother,

and her oldest brother.

But the two youngest
boys, Calvin and Bernie,

were still missing.

On the night this
story aired in Canada,

Bernie's adoptive
parents and one

of Calvin's former foster
mothers were watching the show.

Through their efforts
and cooperation,

the two brothers
were put in touch

with their sister, Sandra.

Three weeks after our broadcast,
everything was arranged.

March 4, 1993, would be a day
of reunions, joy, and tears.

At 10:30 AM, Sandra
and her mother,

Myrna, were at the
Winnipeg airport

awaiting the arrival of Bernie.

Is that him?

I don't even know!

SANDRA SEATON HENRY: I had
such an anxious feeling,

just looking and
wondering because we

hadn't seen Bernie at all.

We didn't see no picture.

Oh, I just-- and then, all
of the sudden, his face

just was right there and
I thought, oh, that's him.

[crying]

I love you all.

We love you, too.

ROBERT STACK: With
Bernie back in the fold,

the group headed
to Myrna's house,

where they knew Calvin
would be waiting.

In his youth, Calvin had
been shunted about to 14

different foster families.

Now he was finally home
again after nearly 25 years.

It's Bernie.

Mom and Bernie.

Hey, not so little.

TONY TAVOLINO: It feels
really good to be taken in

instead of being pushed away.

This is a big switch
for me and I'm happy.

If I knew bigger
words, I probably

could say some big word that
would describe how I feel right

now, but there's
no words that I can

think of that describes this.

It's the beginning.

I just think it's the
beginning of a good thing.

It's all good.

It feels great, just great that
there's a piece of my life put

together, which I think
all my friends knew

that there was a piece missing.

Maybe this is just the part
to my life that was missing.

We've got so much to
talk about, you know?

So much.

SANDRA SEATON HENRY: It's
just a really great feeling.

There is a piece, you know.

There was always that
piece of my heart

somehow just needed to
know that they were OK.

Each one of us
has our own lives,

but it's so good to know
that we have family.

[rock music playing]

ROBERT STACK: Tom Roche and
Barbara Rondeau of Burbank,

California love nothing
better than to fire up

their Harley-Davidson
and hit the road.

They belonged to a club that
often drove on weekend trips

across California.

Barbara and Tom met
in Rhode Island, then

moved to California in 1988.

After 16 years together, cycling
was a passion they shared.

BARBARA RONDEAU: We've
known each other since '76

and all our extra
time was spent riding.

Tom's my father,
lover, teacher, guide.

Tom's my life.

ROBERT STACK: Like their
fellow cycle club members

who were lawyers,
plumbers, and accountants,

Tom and Barbara held
steady, everyday jobs.

In other factories
we're working at,

we've got bigger
tanks than this.

Oh, is that right?

Sure.

ROBERT STACK: Barbara worked
at a blueprint company.

Tom was an expert
in metal plating.

In the fall of 1991, he accepted
a well-paid management position

with a company that
plated aircraft parts.

He was to start on
Monday, September 16.

Three days before,
on Friday the 13th,

Tom drove Barbara to work.

They made plans
to meet for lunch.

Listen, I gotta go
to the chrome shop.

Are you still gonna
be here at noon?

- Absolutely.
- OK.

Don't be late.
- I'll miss you.

Bye.

Bye-bye.

ROBERT STACK: But
Tom never showed

up and never called to explain.

BARBARA RONDEAU: My
lunchtime came around

and he wasn't there.

So just hanging around, waiting
for him, and no show, no show.

And I thought maybe that he
might have gotten caught up

at his new place of employment.

But in fact, he would have
called me and said, Barbara,

I'm not going to
be able to make it.

I'm still at the plating
shop, or whatever.

Tom wouldn't have let me just
hang there, waiting on him.

ROBERT STACK: By the time
Barbara got home at about 5:30

PM, she still had
not heard from Tom.

Tom?

ROBERT STACK: She
was surprised to find

the front door unlocked.

Tom!

Tom?

BARBARA RONDEAU: There
was no sign of Tom.

Everything was in its
place except for Tom.

Tom?

ROBERT STACK: But an ominous
pattern soon emerged.

The newspaper was
still unopened.

Strange, since Tom rarely
left the sports page unread.

A motorcycle
battery that Tom had

planned to install that
morning was on the counter.

The answering machine was off,
suggesting Tom had planned

to be at home most of the day.

Barbara had no choice
but to wait and hope.

BARBARA RONDEAU: I didn't
sleep at all that night.

Just trying to figure
out where Tom was

and why he hadn't called to
let me know where he might be.

CARL COSTANZO: There's a lot
of different circumstances

for different types
of missing persons.

They could take off
because of family problems.

They can take off because
of money problems.

They can take off for a
number of different reasons.

We really don't know the reason
until we get into talking

with the family or friends.

If Tom, in fact, wanted to
get out of our relationship,

or if, again, there
was a problem,

Tom would have just
told me right out.

Do you see a lot of people
going in and out of that house?

No, just him and Barb.

ROBERT STACK:
Routine questioning

around the neighborhood
turned up nothing significant.

Police could not
determine whether Tom

had left voluntarily
or become the victim

of some kind of violence.

It was as though Tom Roche
had simply evaporated.

However, Barbara was convinced
something terrible had

happened to Tom and she
circulated these flyers

at his usual hangouts.

No one came forward
with any information,

and Tom Roche was officially
listed as a missing person.

A day passed, then two.

Soon, five.

Barbara's father flew in from
Rhode Island to be with her.

Then, on Thursday, September
19, a letter arrived addressed

to the family of Tom Roche.

Oh, Tom!

Dad!

ROBERT STACK: In the
envelope were Tom's driver's

license and the
earring he had been

wearing the day he disappeared.

They were enfolded in a letter--

a bizarre confession that
would wrench the case

in a sinister new direction.

This is the actual letter
received by Barbara Rondeau.

It begins, "you don't know
me and hopefully never will,

but I am the one who
killed Tom Roche.

I sent along some personal
belongings of his just

so that you won't
think this is some kind

of sick joke or anything."

Finally, the self-proclaimed
killer goes on to say,

"I am very sorry for
what I have done.

I know in time that the
guilt will leave me.

So will your pain."

Barbara, did Tom
have any enemies?

Was there someone who might
have wanted to hurt him?

Nobody that knew Tim
would want to hurt him.

ROBERT STACK: Barbara
Rondeau was devastated.

Had Tom Roche been murdered,
or was the letter a hoax?

It yielded no fingerprints,
bore no return address,

and was, of course, unsigned.

BARBARA RONDEAU: It
was just unbelievable.

But I wasn't going to
believe that Tom was dead.

ROBERT STACK: Authorities
immediately renewed

their efforts to
track Tom Roche's

activities on Friday the 13th.

Bank records show
Tom made two deposits

at approximately 8:20 AM.

He did not withdraw
any money, indicating

he had no plans to leave town.

I gotta meet my old
lady at noon for lunch.

She'll be real hot if I'm late.

ROBERT STACK: Tom was
next seen by a neighbor,

talking with an unidentified
white male at about 9:30 AM.

If the letter is not a hoax,
then police believe this man

may have been Tom's killer.

CARL COSTANZO: We contacted
one witness who told us

that she had seen Thomas that
morning with another subject,

standing by a pickup
truck, looking into the bed

of the pickup truck.

She said that they
were not arguing.

It looked like they
were just carrying

on a normal conversation
and there was

nothing suspicious about that.

And I believe that was the
last time Thomas was seen.

OK.

Start at first [inaudible].

ROBERT STACK: However,
testimony from one eyewitness

suggests the letter
may indeed be a hoax.

An employee at a motorcycle
parts store in nearby Glendale

is convinced Tom came in on
Saturday, September 14, one day

after the letter
said Tom was killed.

ANDY MARSALA: He acted a
little strange in the sense

that he didn't joke
around with me.

We would always joke around
about what kind of motorcycle

he rode and about it
leaking oil and stuff.

I knew Tom well enough
to know Saturday

that it was Tom that came in.

I had gone into the
warehouse to pick

up some parts for the customer.

And when I came out
Tom, wasn't there

or anything, so
he must have left

when I was in the warehouse.

I just feel it's kind
of strange that he

didn't say anything when
he came in or when he left.

ROBERT STACK:
Authorities believe

Andy Marsala did see
Tom Roche but suspect

he is mistaken about the date.

However, the account raises
a disturbing possibility.

Perhaps Tom Roche
intentionally fled and wrote

the grotesque letter
to cover his tracks.

Four months passed.

With no clues, no eyewitnesses,
and no further letters,

the investigation
dragged to a standstill.

Until January 11, 1992.

Hey!

[inaudible]

ROBERT STACK: That afternoon,
authorities in Placer County,

California, almost 500
miles north of Burbank,

were called to investigate
a report of weathered bone

fragments and personal effects
strewn over a remote hillside.

Motorcycle emblems on
some of the clothing

eventually led authorities to
link the items to Tom Roche.

Rush.

Rush, I need a bag.

ROBERT STACK: The
scattered possessions

included a duffel bag,
flashlight, hunting knife,

bottled water, two pairs
of prescription eyeglasses,

an empty prescription medicine
bottle, and several shirts.

If the items were indeed
Tom's, he seemed to have been

packed and ready for the road.

Investigators contacted
Barbara Rondeau.

She recognized all
the shirts and a pair

of eyeglass frames as Tom's.

BARBARA RONDEAU: I do feel
that what they found is Tom,

but there's that hope that he
is still out there somewhere

and that, in fact,
I will find him.

ROBERT STACK: What is the
truth about Tom Roche?

The mysterious letter,
taken at face value,

would explain Tom's
disappearance unless it was

written by Tom Roche himself.

It has been a nightmare.

It has been hell.

I still live for Tom.

He's my life.

There's not a minute
that goes by that he's

not within my thoughts.

He'll always be within me.

It is interesting to note
that this letter claims

Tom Roche was murdered
and then buried

in the Los Angeles
area, nearly 500

miles south of Placer County.

Within the next few
months, authorities

will conduct DNA tests
on the bone fragments

to finally prove whether
they are Tom's remains.

Until then, the
only person who may

be able to answer the
questions in this case

is the author of the letter.

And for now, his identity
remains a mystery.

When we return, the only
clues in a murder case

come from the victim
himself before he dies.

Fortunately, the only
contact most of us

will ever have with
random violent crime

is watching the nightly
news, but random crime

is very real, extremely
difficult for police to solve,

and utterly impossible
for families touched

by the violence to comprehend.

One such family was the Hurleys
of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.

Pam and David Hurley
were married in 1983.

By 1988, their family had
grown to include three sons.

The Hurleys shared an
undramatic, but happy, life

until the early morning hours
of Saturday, June 13, 1992.

That weekend, David
and his brother

were taking a
troop of Boy Scouts

on a long-planned canoe trip.

DAVID: Honey.

Honey, I'm just going to go.

I'm too wound up to sleep.

I'm going to go
pick up some donuts

and head over to my brother's,
hang out there till we go, OK?

OK.

You have a good weekend.

You, too.

I love you.

Love you, too.

You be really careful.

ROBERT STACK: David
left home at 1:30 AM.

DAVID: Pam?

ROBERT STACK: About
an hour and a half

later, Pam was startled to
hear her husband calling out.

David?

DAVID: Pammy, could
you come down here?

What are you doing home?

DAVID: Pam?

I need you to come down here.

Pammy.

I've been shot.

What?

I've been shot.

What are you talking about?

Oh, my god.

PAM HURLEY: I was stunned
and thoroughly shocked.

I just couldn't comprehend
that he had been shot.

That was just too unbelievable.

ROBERT STACK: While they waited
for paramedics to arrive,

David told his wife
about the chilling

events of that morning.

David had stopped for
donuts and was heading

toward his brother's house.

Suddenly, a car
appeared out of nowhere.

Whoa!

ROBERT STACK: David
told Pam he expected

simply to exchange
insurance information

with the other driver.

What happened next
defies reason.

Hey, man, what's going on?

What the hell
you talking about?

Are you all right?

Am I all right?

Hey, man.

Hey, man!

PAM HURLEY: He said all he can
remember is getting in the van

and trying desperately
to get home, to get away.

I don't know.

He was average size.

ROBERT STACK: Police
and paramedics

arrived at around 3:30 AM and
David told his story again.

MICHAEL PRUEY: He was calm for
a person who'd just been shot.

He was able to give me the
information I was asking

for so we could stop
this vehicle before it

got too far away from our area.

At that particular
time, I was concerned

with getting
information that I could

put on the air for
the other units that

were still out on the road.

But you're going
to be just fine.

ROBERT STACK: David Hurley
would be rushed by helicopter

to Presbyterian
University Hospital

in Pittsburgh 6 miles away.

At 4:30 AM, he was wheeled
into emergency surgery.

His doctors emerged from the
operating room two hours later.

And I remember we looked at
the clock, and it was 6:30 AM.

And I looked at my brother
and I said, this is great.

They're done already.

It must have been a
lot better than we

expected because we
expected four to five

hours from what they told us.

ROBERT STACK: In addition
to gunshot wounds in the arm

and shoulder, David
was bleeding internally

from a lacerated liver.

The surgeon told Pam that
the operation had progressed

well until, without
warning, David

went into acute cardiac arrest.

I said, you've
got to be kidding.

And he said, no,
I'm not kidding.

He's dead.

ROBERT STACK: David
Eugene Hurley,

husband and father of three,
murdered at the age of 34.

In searching for
David's killer, police

are limited to the
sketchy information Hurley

himself gave before he died.

Hey, man!

ROBERT LAZZARO: We only
have the description

of a young, black male driving
a champagne-colored Honda

Prelude.

And it's a good possibility
that this individual is local.

PAM HURLEY: When someone you
love dies, it's very painful.

And that never goes away.

And I'm sure that never will.

But that pain is also
turning to anger.

To realize that there's
a person out there

continuing with his life
as if nothing happened just

makes me very angry.

David Hurley was
attacked along Route 22

in Wilkins Township,
Pennsylvania on June 13, 1992.

During the few
moments Hurley was

face to face with the
assailant, he noticed

no unusual characteristics.

And at this time, police
lack sufficient information

to produce even a
sketch of the suspect.

Join me next time.

Perhaps you hold that
crucial clue which

could help solve a mystery.

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