[music playing] ANNOUNCER: This program is
about unsolved mysteries. Whenever possible, the
actual family members and police officials
have participated in recreating the events. What you were about to see
is not a news broadcast. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Tonight on "Unsolved Mysteries," San Quentin Prison. Once you enter, it is
unlikely you will leave. But convicted
murderer Mark Adams fashioned an improbable escape. You may be able
to help catch him. The story of a young housewife
who vanished from her home in Gothenburg, Nebraska. Her husband wants
her back, but he must answer
allegations that he was the one responsible
for her disappearance. Steven Cox was a
small town hero, handsome, popular, successful. Steven Cox may also
have been a con man who bilked over $3 million out
of his unsuspecting neighbors. The people of Medford,
Oregon want their money back. [theme music] A young housewife
who disappeared, a local hero turned
bad, an escaped convict. Three people whose fate
remains a question mark. Perhaps tonight, we'll
find some answers. Also a special appeal
from the police in Philadelphia, who
will ask for your help in tracking down a murderer. Join me. You may be able to
help solve the mystery. [theme music] The town of
Gothenburg is located in the heart of
Nebraska's farm belt. There is a strong
sense of community among its 3,000 inhabitants. And when a neighbor
is in trouble, it becomes everybody's business. On December 11,
1987, a housewife named Christi Nichols vanished. Her disappearance turned
into a controversy that continues to this day. Christi married Mark
Nichols when she was 19. Soon after their marriage,
a daughter was born, and in April of 1986, a son. Those who knew Christi
well felt her life centered around her family. CONNIE STANLEY: Christi
was a very good student and a nice looking girl. And people liked her,
but she always had kind of a negative self-image. And I think Christi never felt
she did anything until she had her children, and
there was something she could look at and say,
hey, I did this pretty well. Nobody can do this any
better, because she was just so proud of her children. She loved them. I would have never thought
that Christi would run away. She never-- she would have
never left her children. I would have never believe that. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Christi's husband, Mark Nichols, works at
a local gas station. He was the last person
to see her alive. There are rumors
in Gothenburg that say he is responsible
for her disappearance. MARK NICHOLS: People in
small towns, they talk a lot. And a lot of these rumors
tend to get pretty vicious. There's been a couple
of rumors that I chopped her up, and put
her in garbage bags, and buried her at the dump. That's one of the
first ones I heard. And that one really
got to me, because I guess they were actually
up there digging around. Mark Nichols claims he is
innocent of all wrongdoing. He wants his wife to come home. But until Christi
returns to Gothenburg, he remains under a
cloud of suspicion. The police investigation
of this case has raised some
disturbing questions about the events surrounding
his wife's disappearance. Since Christi vanished
11 months ago, no one, family
members or friends, have had any contact with her. For this reason, the
Nebraska State Patrol has been called in. Officer Terry Ahrens is
in charge of the case. And as the investigation
has proceeded, it's starting to
look more and more like a foul play situation. There's just a lot of things
that aren't ringing true, that don't appear like
your normal missing person situation. ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Police began to uncover evidence
that the Nichols' marriage was in trouble. Mark, could you
just wait out here? ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
They learned that Christi had been seeing another man. 10 days before
her disappearance, she had gone to a local
hospital for treatment of an injury she received
during a fight with Mark. DR. CAROL SEVEREID
SHACKLETON: And over the x-rays, and it doesn't look
like your thumb is broken. However, it's-- The only bad
fight I can remember is when I was trying to get her
to stay home from going out, and she was getting
so upset at me. She started to try
to hit and kicked me, and that's when she
burned the side of my neck with a cigarette
she was holding. And I tossed her
onto the waterbed, and she landed wrong
and kind of twisted up her thumb underneath her. What exactly happened
to your finger tonight? I saw Christi on the
Friday after Thanksgiving. She came to the emergency room
complaining of a sore thumb. She was acting like a
scared rabbit, if you will. She's never been one
for great eye contact or been very verbal. She obviously wasn't telling
me everything either. Mark was in the hallway nearby,
and I couldn't, looking back, really tell if it was
reassuring for her to have Mark there or not. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Christi also told her cousin, Debbie
Frederickson, that she had been abused by Mark. [music playing] DEBRA FREDERICKSON: When
I went to see Christi, she was working at the
bar, and she was having problems with her husband. She would tell me that her
husband would beat her. When we left the bar, Christi
showed me a bruise on her side, and it really scared me. I told her she needed to
go get help from somebody. And I asked her how
it had happened. And she said her and Mark
had gotten an argument, and he had thrown her around. And she just acted like
it wasn't a big deal. It was something
that happened a lot. As far as a violent
argument, which there seem to be a lot of
rumors going around that I was always beating up on
her, that's just totally wrong. Oh, Hi.
You're Mrs. NIchols? ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On December 9, two days before her disappearance,
Christi went to an attorney to begin divorce proceedings. What can I do
for you, Christi? Well, I need some help. CLAUDE BERRECKMAN:
What's your problem? I need someone to
help me get through-- ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Christi was frightened that Mark would find
out, and for this reason went to an out of town lawyer. CLAUDE BERRECKMAN:
Well, just relax. We do a lot of divorce work. I've handled
hundreds of divorces. But she had to rank
up in the top five of being very distressed, and
upset, and nervous, and needed help. And when she explained
certain abuses that she had been
subjected to, we decided to make some telephone
calls, to call the authorities and to report certain
crimes that had taken place. I feel that she was very
sincere and honest in what she was telling me. I don't know what motive
she would possibly have had to conjure
up a story about being abused by her husband if
it didn't in fact happen. I was convinced and I am still
convinced that it happened. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): What
was Christi's state of mind when she left the
lawyer's office? Was she preparing to
run away as Mark claims? Or was she planning on fighting
for the custody of her children as her mother believes? CLAUDE BERRECKMAN: I can say
that the day that Christi was in my office on
December 9, she was not panic-stricken to the point
that she would run or leave. And in fact, she had
planned to come back. When she left, she had
made an appointment to come back to my office. [music playing] ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The day after this meeting, December 10,
Christi and Mark went Christmas shopping with their children. This was the last afternoon she
would spend with her family. I felt real
uncomfortable the day before she left, because I felt
a lot of anger coming from her. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
That evening, the couple hired a babysitter and
went to the local bar where Christi worked. [music, people chatters] When I babysat the night
that she disappeared, I was surprised that
those two were going out, that both of them are
going out, because I knew they weren't getting along. When we were at
the bar, things seemed to be going real well. I felt there was a good
attitude about herself and myself, and a lot of
laughing and carrying on. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Mark and Christi left the bar around
midnight and drove to an all-night convenience store. At 12:30, they headed for home. According to the babysitter,
Mark arrived home between 12:30 and 1 o'clock in the morning. The babysitter was
doing her homework in front of the
television and doesn't remember seeing Christi. MAN (ON TV): Tom Banks
is an electrician and says, for the time being-- I was about five, six yards
behind her when she reached the door, and she walked
right by the living room where the babysitter was at,
back towards the kids' bedroom and went into the main bathroom. DIANE JANSSEN: It seems
strange, because Mark had paid me with
cash when Christi usually pays me with a check. It was unusual for
Mark to pay me. Is that enough? Yeah, that's fine.
Thanks. Hos was everything? Fine. I really can't believe that
I didn't see her, because I would have heard footsteps. And I would have heard
her go into the bathroom, because I was there
between five and 10 minutes so that
I would have been able to hear Christi somehow. But I didn't hear
or see Christi. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to Mark, Christi went to bed immediately
after the babysitter left. The last time he says he
saw her was at 2:00 AM when he went to
sleep beside her. MARK NICHOLS: And that's
the last thing I remember. My kids woke me up
the next morning, and the first thing I noticed
was she wasn't in the bed. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Mark
claims he searched the house and noticed Christi
had taken a suitcase full of belongings with her. Christi? ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But
both family cars were still sitting in the front yard. At 9:30 in the
morning, Mark received a phone call from
Christi's mother who lived 100 miles away. Even though he knew
his wife was gone, Mark told her
mother that Christi was still in bed asleep. I didn't want to
worry her at the time, because I didn't
know where she was. So I told her that she
was still in bed sleeping, because I didn't think
she felt real good. ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At 11:30 AM, Mark took his children over
to Christi's grandmother's and asked if she could
take care of them, as he was planning to
search for his wife. Can you take the kids. VIOLET WILLIAMS: Well, I
didn't think much about it at the time. But like I say later,
he never asked me at all or telephone me to
take care of the kids, where they always did before. That was really about
the strangest thing. Yes, may I help you? He never asked if
Christi was at my house or if I'd seen Christi. He just said that
Christi was missing, and he acted like
he was shook up. MARK NICHOLS: I spent
approximately two hours just riding around town,
trying to spot her, maybe coming out
of the store, or I drove some residential streets,
where we knew some people. When we checked
out Mark's story about driving around
looking for Christi, we could find nobody in
the city of Gothenburg that had seen him driving around. ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At 1:37 PM, Mark filed a missing persons
report with the Gothenburg Police Department. What time did
you see her last? I saw her last when I went to
bed about 2:00 AM this morning. I was real upset, because
there was no indication whatsoever that she would just
pack a suitcase and just leave. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
During their investigation, the state patrol
discovered that Mark moved out of the house the day
after his wife's disappearance. A few weeks later, he
boxed up all of her clothes and sold both of their cars. Oh, looks like we got
a spot on the plastic. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
March of 1988, three months after she disappeared,
Christi's suitcase was discovered in a
roadside rest area 30 miles west of Gothenburg. Police found it
surprising that earlier, Mark had precisely detailed
all of its contents. TERRY AHRENS: It appeared
to everybody present that the suitcase
had been placed there instead of just thrown out. The items were
neatly laying around. It was like the
person that put them there wanted them to be found. If my wife had
left me, I wouldn't be able to look
through the closet and tell you what she had taken. I probably would be
able to tell you maybe what suitcase she had taken. But he was listing items of
clothing right down the line and knew what she had taken. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
area surrounding Gothenburg has been searched extensively. No other trace of Christi
Nichols has ever been found. Today, the case is stalled. JAMES M. O'ROUKE: It is
difficult, without locating Christi Nichols or her body, to
determine what if any charges would be appropriate. We basically are concerned
about the way she disappeared, the fact that she has not
contacted her children, she hasn't contacted her
family, or she did not take one of the family vehicles. And basically, the
continued long absence all point to perhaps, foul
play, in some form, is involved. I'd have never done
anything to hurt my wife. That's just the person I am. A lot of people think
I'm a violent person. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not a violent person. I hope and pray
that she was alive. But if she isn't, I'd
still want to find a solution to this case. I'd like to have her buried
someplace where I know she was. I want very much for
Christi to come home. But if for some reason she
doesn't want to come home, Christi, at least call somebody. Let us know where you are,
whether you're all right. By all accounts, Christi
Nichols was trapped in a marriage gone wrong. Nobody can say for
certain if this is what motivated her disappearance. All we know is that Christi
Nichols has vanished without a trace, and
her family and friends would like to know why. In a moment, the story
of a remarkable escape from San Quentin Prison. [theme music] Last October, we examined
the mysterious disappearance of Gail DeLano, a
35-year-old mother of two who vanished from her
hometown of Wiscasset, Maine. After her second
divorce, Gail DeLano sought companionship
by placing personal ads in a local newspaper. On June 21, 1986, Gail
drove to a restaurant in the nearby town of Brunswick. She had told her
two teenage sons that she was meeting a
man named John, who'd responded to one of her ads. Gail DeLano's family
never saw her again. Two days later,
police found her car abandoned in the
restaurant's parking lot. Later that day, a
restaurant worker found Gail's keys
in the same spot where her car had been parked. Two weeks later,
Gail's purse was found. Though it seemed untouched,
it contained no money. For 2 and 1/2 years,
investigators and Gail's family were baffled. Update. Mobile, Alabama. The 2 and 1/2 year search for
Gail DeLano has come to an end. Tragically, she
took her own life shortly after she disappeared. A forensic
administrator in Mobile watched our program,
recognize Gail's photo as a woman who had died
in a local hotel room in 1986. So when I saw the
photograph, I immediately saw the resemblance between Mrs.
DeLano and an unidentified body that we have in our
laboratory in Mobile. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): After
two weeks of forensic tests, positive identification
was made. Police now theorize that
Gail DeLano orchestrated her own disappearance. They believe that after she
drove to the restaurant, she hid her keys
somewhere on the car, removed all the
money from her purse, discarded it, and
then flew to Alabama. That evening, she
checked into a hotel in Mobile, where she registered
under the name Jackie Stafford. Three days later, police
discovered her body. She had died from
a drug overdose. On November 11, Gail's
family held a Memorial service in Brunswick, Maine. Gail's family showed
remarkable courage. For two long years, they
searched for the truth. Her loss saddens us all. And to her parents and sons,
we send our deepest sympathy. [theme music] California's San
Quentin Prison is justly known as one of the
country's most secure maximum security prisons. Few cameras are permitted
behind its walls. But recently, "Unsolved
Mysteries" was allowed inside, so we might document one of
the few times the system failed and help recapture
an escaped prisoner. In the summer of 1986,
an inmate named Mark Adams mysteriously vanished. The events leading up to
his escape began on a summer night in August of 1979. On that evening, three
high school students entered a municipal
baseball park located in the quiet community
of Modesto, California. Hey, you know who's
over to Mark's house? - Who?
- Suzie. - No way.
- Suzie? No way. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
They gathered in the dugout to drink some beers and chat
about school and their friends. [interposing voices] ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Three figures appeared out of the darkness. Over the previous
few weeks, there have been other robberies by
these ski masked individuals. Give me your wallets. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In the earlier attempts, nobody had been injured. Give me your wallet! Why don't you guys
just leave us alone? No!
Whoa! Whoa! ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): One
boy, Mike Ridenour, was dead. Another, wounded. An eyewitness description
of an automobile spotted at the scene led to
the arrest of three robbers. The triggerman,
16-year-old Mark Adams, was tried, convicted, and
sentenced to 25 years to life. Located on San Francisco
Bay, San Quentin is an impenetrable fortress. 21 armed posts surround
the three-foot thick prison walls, lined with razor
sharp barbed wire. Today, over 3,000 hardened
criminals call the prison home. Charles Manson is only one
of its infamous residents. In its 136 year
history, other criminals such as Sirhan Sirhan, Caryl
Chessman, and outlaw Black Bart have been locked away in the
prison's massive cellblocks. A major portion of the San
Quentin's current population are repeat offenders. It is the end of the line
for the hardened criminals. DANIEL B. VASQUEZ:
San Quentin Prison is different from other
prisons, because of its design. There are armed officers
inside the institution. They're in gun walks
and manned areas where there's weapons
inside the institution. Mark Adams was here because of
the physical plant and security that San Quentin can provide
inmates like Mark Adams. [bell rings] ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): When
Adams entered San Quentin, he was 19 years old. He would have been eligible
for parole in the year 2007. He began his sentence
under close scrutiny. But after six months,
restrictions were relaxed. His privileges
included a job working with computers as a clerk in the
prison's academic department. Mark Adams was essentially
a model prisoner. He worked very well with
people, he obey the rules. And he would seize
any opportunity he could to stay out of his cell. When we had special
projects where he had to work some overtime,
he was only too happy to assist. I'm sure that Mark Adams took
advantage of his position. He probably checked schedules,
he probably checked timing. He wanted to leave
no margin for error. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On June 10, 1986, four years to the day after he
was put behind bars, Adams secured an
authorized pass allowing him to leave work early. I'll see you later. Where are you going? I'm going to the
dentist's office. OK, I'll see you tomorrow. [music playing] ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At approximately 2:30 PM, Adams left his job and walked
to the security checkpoint, showing his pass. He was observed heading
to the dentist's office. That was the last time
anyone remembers seeing him. [music playing] At 4:15 PM, the inmates
return to the cells for the afternoon head count. DANIEL B. VASQUEZ: The 4:15
count, when there's no hitches, will take approximately
45 minutes to clear. Inmate, let me see some skin. DANIEL B. VASQUEZ: If something
is wrong with the count, if there's one person
that cannot be accounted for, most often,
there's a simple explanation for that miscount. You can't find any
error, then you go cell by cell, bed by bed, with
an officer and a picture of those people assigned
to those cell blocks and that particular cell. GUARD 1: Good. GUARD 2: 2A11, ID? 2A12, negative. No showing Adam's in here. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At approximately 4:45, Adam's was confirmed missing. Immediately, San
Quentin locked down. All access to the prison, inside
and out, was sealed tight. Every prisoner was
confined to a cell, and their few
privileges revoked. [inmates yelling] Must not be down the
hall, this way in-- ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
An intensive search by correctional
officers was fruitless. No trace of Mark or the method
of his escape was found. Authorities have three
theories as to how he escaped. The first suggest that Adam
put on civilian clothes and walked out with
the regular visitors, passing through three
different armed gates. In order to
accomplish this, Adams would have had to show a photo
ID at the first two gates. GUARD 3: OK, thanks. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A second theory proposes that Adams simply went
over the 25-foot prison wall. When an inmate has to make
that move from a blind spot over the wall, he has to go
from an area of concealment to one of visibility. It can happen in a
matter of seconds. But in those few moments
that it took to hit the wall and scale it, the officer is
looking in another direction and escape is perpetrated. ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The chances that Adams could have made
the climb are extremely slim. Shortly after his
escape, three inmates attempted to scale the wall. All three were
immediately captured, and one was injured in a
struggle with officers. We considered also
in our investigation of the possible ways of
escape is could he have gained access to a vehicle? It was possible that
Mark Adams could have studied vehicles
which do pass in front of his area of assignment. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Every day, approximately 225 service vehicles enter
and exit the prison. Each must pass through
a guarded inspection area for a thorough search. There is a remote
chance Adams could have found a place to hide. And then when the search
ended, he would have been driven straight to freedom. [music playing] I'll take the rear. MICHAEL MACKENZIE: If
there were a mistake in the security system,
Adams would have been the type to look for it. He would have been
the type to find it, and he would have made
plans to exploit it. And as a result, that's
precisely what he did. It's been two years since
Mark Adams has escaped from San Quentin Prison. And in those two
years, we have not found any concluding or
convincing evidence to tell us how Mark Adams escaped. [music playing] ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In a moment, you'll meet Eugene Richmond. He vanished after
defrauding his friends and neighbors of
$3 and 1/2 million and came back to face the music. His alleged accomplice,
Steven Cox, is still at large. [theme music] In 1981, Lorraine Rondeau was
68 years old and newly widowed. Her husband had
left her $100,000. It was all Lorraine had. She invested it with a
man named Steven Cox. In 1976, a drunk driver
left Michelle Whitt crippled for life. The insurance company
awarded her $75,000. Michelle invested her money
with the same man, Steven Cox. On September the 24th 1984,
Steven Cox disappeared. He has not been seen since. Is there anyone in this
room has anything to offer in this case at this time? If so, please step forward. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): At
bankruptcy court in Medford, Oregon, a packed audience of
more than 200 angry investors came forward. And I am one of the investors
who invested with Steve Cox in excess of $100,000. ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): They told authorities that they
had given Cox in excess of $3 and 1/2 million. Every penny was gone. MAN: What is it
that can be done so that we can get our money back. How did Steven Cox
get $3 and 1/2 million from the people of Medford? Well, Cox was a hometown boy. The people of Medford
knew him and trusted him. They hope that if
he's watching tonight, he will return and deal with
them honorably, face to face. In high school, Steven
Cox was a popular student and an all-around athlete. He was captain of the
football team, lettermen on the basketball team,
and named to Oregon's all state baseball team. He went to college in
Oregon, and after he graduated married his
college sweetheart, Deborah. They settled in Medford. I didn't believe it.
No. ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In 1982, he started his own company,
SD Cox Investments. That's what I'm talking about. Let me get-- hold on a second. Let me get it up
on the screen here. When he first began, all
the indications we have are that his
intentions were good. He'd had some luck
with commodities, with other investments, gold,
and silver, and other things, and he really wanted to
make money for other people. At the same time, he
made money for himself. I'm looking at it right now. ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Steven Cox attracted investors by
offering a rate of return as high as 25%. Good morning, Michelle. - Hi, how are you?
- I'm fine. How are you? Good to see you both. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
There's only one catch. In exchange, they received
nothing more than Cox's IOU in the form of a
promissory note. Michelle Whitt needed $1,200
a month to pay for her around the clock nursing care. Despite the lack of
security, she decided Cox's high return was worth the risk. And at 20%, 24% ballpark
that we were talking about is something we're
definitely going to be able to get for you. MICHELLE WHITT: The
$75,000 was invested. And for 3 and 1/2 years, I got
a monthly payment of $1,250. He seemed to know
what he was doing. And I'm sure he did
know what he was doing. Hey, Hey. Eugene, good to see you. How are you doing? Cox's business
doubled, then tripled. I guess that's fine. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Eugene Richmond, an old friend was brought in as a partner. Well, it'll work. It'll work.
- Good. Good. EUGENE RICHMOND: Well, I
had known Steve since we were in grade school together. I mean, he was always
somebody I looked up to. He was the high school
quarterback on the football team and just the typical
guy that everybody wanted to know and be around. The way I look at
it, mortgage paper-- EUGENE RICHMOND:
Basically, whatever Steve Cox asked me to do, I did. And I just trusted
him unequivocally. Eugene Richmond was
the forceful personality in the partnership. This is a nice
house you have here. Oh, thank you. MICHAEL R. SWEENEY:
Eugene Richmond was the one that
went out and got people to invest their money. Mrs. Rondeau, I'm
sorry I have to bother you at a time like this. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): When
Eugene Richmond made his sales presentation to
Lorraine Rondeau, she gave him all the money
her husband had left her. And I know that your husband
has left you some money. EUGENE RICHMOND: I'm confident
that I told every investor that their money is at risk. I would have investors
asked me what happens if SD Cox goes belly up? And I would sit
right in my chair, and look him straight in
the face, and I'd say, you're going to lose your money. Well, Eugene
Richmond is a liar then, because he never did. He never told us that. Not me. He never told me that. If she was not aware that
her money was at risk, then either I failed in my
job to tell her that, or like a lot of people,
they didn't want to hear it. Eugene Richmond never told
me that my money was unsafe in any way, that everything was
secured, that they had money-- if I wanted all that
money right now, they had money laid
aside that they could pay off any one of us. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
By 1983, SD Cox Investments was flourishing. The firm bought a restaurant,
a neighborhood bar, a video arcade,
two jewelry stores, and an inventory of gems
worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. EUGENE RICHMOND: When you
have a situation where a local businessman looks
successful and other people are going to the bank with the
checks and making the deposits, that will get around. That facade works. People see the Porsche drive
by, and their heads turn. People see the
Mercedes drive by, and I think that
guy is successful. They don't realize
that maybe that guy is not making ends
meet, and he's two payments behind on the Porsche. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): By
1984, many of Steven Cox's investments began to go sour. EUGENE RICHMOND: In
my opinion, Steve was not a good businessman. In Steve's case, he made
some wrong decisions. Well, I'll talk to
you tomorrow about that. That deal-- that's a
whole separate thing. I don't want you-- EUGENE RICHMOND: There are some
real estate that wasn't panning out the way it was
supposed to pan out, and you had to feed it. He had a restaurant
he was feeding. And instead of just cutting
it off, he wanted to hang on. That's the important part. EUGENE RICHMOND:
He was competitive. He didn't want to lose ever. $50,000. $50,000. You heard me the first time. What happened is that
Steve Cox had some luck at the very beginning. He had some good fortune. He made some money. And as he continued to
pay 20% to 25% interest, he had to get more and more
people involved at the bottom in order to be able to do that. It's like a pyramid scheme. There was nothing to
back up his promises to pay back this money. That's a house of cards. Eventually, it has to fall. Well, look, what do we need
to do to turn this thing around? You know what we need to do. We need to turn
those numbers around. The way you're going
to turn those numbers around is getting more clients. Lorraine, I see
you've got my flowers. Yes, I did, Eugene. Thank you so much. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
As a last resort, Eugene went back
to Lorraine Rondeau and ask for her last $5,000. Do you have some savings
to cover them with? Well, I'd been
in the hospital, and Eugene came over to the
house to see how I was doing. And he said, do you
have money enough? And I said, I have
some in savings. So he suggested that
I take the $5,000 and put in so that I would
be getting some interest. So I wrote him a
check for $5,000. EUGENE RICHMOND: I couldn't even
tell you right now whether she invested any money or not. I do not recall. At that time when I
saw her, I had no idea that I was going to be going
or Steve was going to be going. I mean, I didn't even know I
was going to leave with Steve until the day that I left. We have a problem. I've got to leave the area. EUGENE RICHMOND:
It came to a point where Steve just said, I'm
leaving town, and I'm going. Wait a minute,
you're going to leave and I'm going to
stay here and face this entire thing by myself? What am I going to do? Everybody's going to
come knocking on my door and say, where's my money? And I felt like I was
going to get lynched. Important thing is Deborah
and I are leaving town. Now, are you going
with us or not? Can you make-- EUGENE RICHMOND: My choice was
to stay here or go with him. And I ended up by leaving
with Steve and his family. I'm going with you, Steve. OK. All right. Definitely, there was
a premeditated decision on the part of Steve
Cox and Eugene Richmond to fold up and leave town. Let's quit beating
around the bush. MICHAEL R. SWEENEY: They
planned to leave for at least a month before they just
didn't show up one morning. Thanks for sticking
around, you guys. I realize it's your weekend. I'll make it short. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On Friday, September the 21st 1984, Eugene
Richmond told his employees that he and Cox would be
out of town on business through Monday. We'll be back on Tuesday. So unless you've got any
questions, see you Tuesday. [music playing] ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
That weekend, according to Eugene Richmond,
Steven Cox cleaned out their office safe, taking
over $200,000 in gold, silver, jewelry, and cash. Cox also took their
financial records, which was stored on computer disks. He and his wife, Deborah,
emptied their house and packed their belongings
into a rented truck. Along with Eugene Richmond,
they furtively departed Medford. Their final destination, Hawaii. Steven Cox, Deborah
Cox, and Eugene Richmond dropped completely
out of sight, and the people of Medford, Oregon
had lost $3 and 1/2 million. But the story of the missing
Medford millions is not over. The authorities
learned that Steven Cox might have disappeared
from Medford, because he feared for his life. 10 months after Steven Cox,
his wife, and Eugene Richmond vanished, leaving nothing
but a bankrupt company that owed the people of Medford
$3 and 1/2 million, the authorities had
a surprise visitor. Debbie, we appreciate you
coming in for this interview today. And well try-- ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In July of 1985, Stephen Cox's wife Deborah
returned to Medford, and through her attorney
agreed to cooperate with the authorities. What was your position
with SD Cox investments? She wasn't actually wanted
as far as being a fugitive. We did want to talk
to her, but there were no criminal charges pending. Then within a week,
Eugene Richmond also wanted to surrender himself. And so arrangements were made
for him to surrender himself in the company of his attorney,
and to be interviewed, and then to be processed on
the fugitive warrants that were outstanding
for him at the time. But for the most
part, the information that we did glean
from these interviews was really not helpful to us. How much money did
you have to live on, and how much did
you take with you? Sergeant Sweeney,
concerning that matter, we're not answering
those questions today. You accept any
responsibility-- Eugene Richmond wouldn't
make any statements that could be used to
incriminate him, and he couldn't really
say anything about Steven Cox that incriminating himself. As a result of that,
we're still looking for SD Cox or Steven Cox. ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): One thing Richmond did tell the
police was that in 1983, Cox had become involved with
a mysterious investor. Those rocks was fantastic. All right, I'm
glad to hear that. You should be. I just want to remind
you, Steven, I'm not a man who likes to lose money. MICHAEL R. SWEENEY:
There was an investor that invested hundreds
of thousands of dollars with SD Cox Investments. And ask security
for his investment, he had taken out a life
insurance policy on Steven Cox. Before Steve and I left town-- OK. And I went to him and said,
let's shut this thing down, bring in a judge, and
just do a chapter 11, and just close it down. Steve said, I can't, and it
was because of this fellow. Because he owed them
money, and Steve just felt like if he didn't
pay this guy back, he would just hurt
Steve, or his wife, or his kids, or something. Especially since we
know of the threat, we know who the individual is. The individual would
have to be a fool to come back and
kill Steven Cox, because he didn't
get his money back. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Eugene Richmond pled guilty to charges
of racketeering and served two years in prison. Steven Cox is still at large. The message I'd like
to send Steven Cox is that he should
come in, turn himself in, and face up to the
people that he really hurt. Short of Steve Cox
winning the lottery, and coming back, and paying
back all of his investors. I don't foresee them
ever being able to recoup any of their losses. Steve Cox is the one
who's in prison right now. He's the one who's
doing time right now. And he will continue to do
time until he turns around and faces a situation,
until he lives up to his responsibilities. Steve, every day, has to wonder
if somebody's going to walk in to where he's working, or if
he's going to be at the market, and somebody's going to see him. It's a small world. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Steven
Cox is 6 feet 2 inches tall, has blond hair and blue eyes,
and weighs over 200 pounds. He is now 38 years old, and
he may be wearing a toupee as well as a beard or a mustache. Update. Steven Cox has been arrested
in Lake Mead, Nevada, 25 miles Southeast of Las Vegas. Five days after he
fled from Boise, Cox checked into the
Lake Mead lodge Motel. He registered under
the name John Straus and listed an Arizona address. CLAUDE BERRECKMAN: He
was not the normal guest. He stayed in this
room all day long. He would only leave at night. Very seldom did he
leave in the daytime. And we noticed that
the license plates were not the same as he had put
down on his registration card. And that made us a little
suspicious, but yet nothing that could
put a finger on. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Two weeks later, Edna Reed made a startling discovery. EDNA REED: One day when
I was out on the grounds, I saw the guest come
out of his room. Instead of putting his trash in
the bin in front of his room, he took it up to number 35,
which was several doors away. And when I went to empty
the trash of that bin, I found the crumpled up letter. And like any curious
female, I read the letter. When I read the
letter, I saw the part that said something about
the unsolved mystery show being a bombshell. I showed the letter
to my husband Harold. And between the two
of us, we decided it was time definitely
to call the Rangers and tell them about the guest. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Lake Mead Park Rangers immediately ran a computer
check and discovered that the car belonged to
someone other than John Straus. On the morning of the 14th,
we began to look for the person by going to the Lake Mead Lodge
to see if we could identify in fact who he really was. When we got there,
the vehicle was gone, and the person was gone, and had
been gone for 15 or 20 minutes. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
next morning, Park Rangers spotted Cox's car and pulled
him over in the parking lot of the Gold strike Casino. After we made
the traffic stop, he produced identification,
a driver's license issued to a Robert Davis. And we checked that
name and date of birth through the NCIC computer. We found that it was an
alias used by one Steven Cox and that there was a
warrant for Mr. Cox. At that point, we
placed him under arrest. ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
During a search of Cox's car, Park Rangers uncovered
a small fortune. When we looked in the
passenger compartment of the vehicle and in the trunk,
we found suitcases and other luggage-type bags filled with
jewelry, rings, necklaces, collector-type baseball cards,
some gold coins, silver coins. And I was really very
curious to know why he had it in the vehicle and
if in fact this was the stuff that he was wanted
for taking in the first place. [music playing] [theme music] Every parent's worst
nightmare is a loss of a child to a violent stranger. Tonight, the Philadelphia
Police Department needs your help in
solving the brutal murder of a four-year-old girl. We have with us Lieutenant
Arthur Durant, investigating officer on the case. Lieutenant Durant,
could you tell us a little something about
Barbara Jean and her family? Barbara Jean was
4 and 1/2 years old. She was the only child
of Sharon and John Faye. She lived with her parents
in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, which is
a relatively crime-free, middle class section. ROBERT STACK: What are the
circumstances of the murder. On July 12, 1988,
approximately 3:00 PM in the afternoon, her
mother was at work. Barbara Jean was out in
front of her house playing. Her father went to check on
her and was unable to find her. He became frantic, started
searching the area for her. He checked with the
neighbors and called police. The police came, and
they searched the area. Approximately two hours
later, Barbara Jean was found stuffed
inside a cardboard box approximately two
blocks from her home. She'd been bludgeoned to death. What clues do you have to
the identity of the killer? Four eyewitnesses observed the
man at St. Vincent and Kastor carrying a cardboard box. The man has been
described as approximately 25 to 35 years old, white
male, 5 foot 8, 180 pounds. Sandy brown hair with a
little bit of blonde up front. At the time, he was wearing a
white T-shirt, cut off jeans, and he was carrying
a cardboard box that previously contained
a 13-inch color Hitachi television set. How can our audience help
solve this tragic crime? We feel there's somebody out
there tonight that might have seen this male on
January 12, 1988 or might know somebody
that's engaged in this type of
criminal activity that might have been
in a Philadelphia area and fits this description. [music playing] For every mystery,
there is someone somewhere who knows the truth. Perhaps that someone
was watching. Perhaps it's you. [music playing]
