With the Jussie Smollett case in the headlines, I was trying to think of who on UM (aside from the obvious example of the KROQ DJs) falls into this category - or you suspect they fall into this category??

those wacky wackers

Ed Walters and his Gulf Breeze UFO fiasco, which proved so embarrassing that UM now likes to pretend this segment never even existed.

The woman claiming to have had a past life where her boyfriend drowned & then she killed herself after discovering she was up the duff & then some random guy who watched it contacted them to say he also had a past life as her bf who drowned.

All the dudes that faked amnesia to escape their lives (be it crime, marriage, etc).

Edit: actually the guy who was escaping his marriage did NOT want attention, but he did waste resources...

Those DJs with the fake confession - KROC? Could be off on the station name.

those wacky wackers

Thing is we don't really know exactly what happened there. Suspicions aren't facts

Those DJs with the fake confession - KROC? Could be off on the station name.

It's "KROQ" but "KROC" would be more appropriate.

Those two are still on the air to this day... still as lame and as unfunny as ever.

Probably Mr. Nobody Questions Passports of Wisconsin from Nyleen's case. There was one guy who gave out a fake confession (I believe it was after the UM case aired), and another before him have given out a fake confession (they'd definitely qualify if that had been on UM).

The woman claiming to have had a past life where her boyfriend drowned & then she killed herself after discovering she was up the duff & then some random guy who watched it contacted them to say he also had a past life as her bf who drowned.

No. That was real. :lol:

What was the love triangle case? Talked about it the other day in a topic.. The one where three people were all pointing fingers at each other over a murder, and it wound up just being a random robbery?

What was the love triangle case? Talked about it the other day in a topic.. The one where three people were all pointing fingers at each other over a murder, and it wound up just being a random robbery?

Sammy Wheeler. To be fair, the case needed attention to be solved and it was not a hoax that the three were pointing fingers at each other.

The girl who claimed a bunch of intruders broke in to her house while her mother was out and bound her up - despite her story reaching Smollettesque levels of implausibility and there being no evidence whatsoever of any forced entry.

The girl who claimed a bunch of intruders broke in to her house while her mother was out and bound her up - despite her story reaching Smollettesque levels of implausibility and there being no evidence whatsoever of any forced entry.

That case was so annoying-it was obvious she just wanted attention from her mother who wasn't giving it to her at the levels she wanted. The mother pandering to such nonsense rather than just saying look I know you made it up so I would spend more time with you & I am going to change my priorities was all that was needed.

The girl who claimed a bunch of intruders broke in to her house while her mother was out and bound her up - despite her story reaching Smollettesque levels of implausibility and there being no evidence whatsoever of any forced entry.

I was 100% convinced that she was telling the truth until I got into a relationship with a girl who would meet the textbook definition of an attention seeker. After breaking up with her I realize how she could have not only pulled off a similar stunt but could actually convince herself it really happened as presented. I believe it is a hoax but I wouldn't be surprised if she had a psychotic break and believes introders actually did the deed.

As for the topic at hand, I would vote for the Comedy Store ghosts. I used to love that episode until I realized how such a story would greatly improve business there and the people in that segment are full of it.

those wacky wackers

That answer is cheaper, but will do...

The ghost segment where an expert reviewed the photograph and found it wasn't a ghost, but most likely was a picture of a man from television.

The woman claiming to have had a past life where her boyfriend drowned & then she killed herself after discovering she was up the duff & then some random guy who watched it contacted them to say he also had a past life as her bf who drowned.

:lol:

Didn't that segment take up half of an episode? Such a waste.

It will happen again in 1996.

:lol:

Didn't that segment take up half of an episode? Such a waste.

Yes, I watched it last year when Amazon released it & it was about 30 minutes-just insane they would dedicate that length of time to it & then they gave time to the guy trying to muscle in on her fantasy.

Yes, I watched it last year when Amazon released it & it was about 30 minutes-just insane they would dedicate that length of time to it & then they gave time to the guy trying to muscle in on her fantasy.

It was real

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ds9_farbeyondthestars234.jpg



I wonder what her reaction was with the boyfriend. Like, was she in on it, or was she losing it that he was trying to get in on it.

It was real

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ds9_farbeyondthestars234.jpg



I wonder what her reaction was with the boyfriend. Like, was she in on it, or was she losing it that he was trying to get in on it.

Imagine she was majorly annoyed.

There were several segments that struck me as being "questionable," but the one that really stands out was about a soldier who spotted what could be his double at a train station during World War II. The two mention chatted briefly and exchanged contact information, but the guy who was interviewed on UM said he lost the info...and apparently the other gentleman did too because he never heard from him. As far as I know, there was never an update on this. I usually liked the "Lost Love" segments, but this one was a bit too much.

There was a segment in later years about some kind of spiritual site in Kentucky. Some of the "witnesses" thought it was a tombstone of a friend but a quick glance at the photo one could easily see words like sales tax, total, etc, even before the skeptic brought this to our attention.

Come on guys, I am disappointed in you. Not a single mention of Cindy James? $1 million in police resources wasted in her case.

Every single case where people were found years later in their cars, submerged in a pond/lake/river.

Seriously.. How many cases has this been the final outcome? And if you drove into a pond, wouldn't you.. You know.. get out of the car? I guess I should be a little more understanding about this.. People tend to freak out.. But it still astounds me that people just sit there and drown in their car.

Every single case where people were found years later in their cars, submerged in a pond/lake/river.

Seriously.. How many cases has this been the final outcome? And if you drove into a pond, wouldn't you.. You know.. get out of the car? I guess I should be a little more understanding about this.. People tend to freak out.. But it still astounds me that people just sit there and drown in their car.

Well, if they crashed into a river/pond and knocked themselves out by hitting the steering wheel... I guess that would be a reason. Here was a case where two of the four people were found inside the car:

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/missing-indian-family-found-drowned-in-california-sushma-swaraj-condoles-death-5142116/

Terrible story... :(

Come on guys, I am disappointed in you. Not a single mention of Cindy James? $1 million in police resources wasted in her case.

I agree that her stalker stories were hoaxes and her death was a suicide; but she was obviously so psychologically unwell that it seems kinda cruel to put her in the same bracket as Smollet.

The Wackers and Cindy James get my votes.

Well, if they crashed into a river/pond and knocked themselves out by hitting the steering wheel... I guess that would be a reason. Here was a case where two of the four people were found inside the car:

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/missing-indian-family-found-drowned-in-california-sushma-swaraj-condoles-death-5142116/

Terrible story... :(

Yeah.. It just seems to happen so much. Like Traci Kenley and Bill Rundle.. They were turning around and rolled into the pond. How did they not get out? Low speed roll into a pond, even if they weren't buckled in, the odds of both being incapacitated is low.

Obviously, these aren't fair to say they 'wasted resources'.. The people didn't commit suicide. I just.. It doesn't process to me how this happens.

Yeah.. It just seems to happen so much. Like Traci Kenley and Bill Rundle.. They were turning around and rolled into the pond. How did they not get out? Low speed roll into a pond, even if they weren't buckled in, the odds of both being incapacitated is low.

Obviously, these aren't fair to say they 'wasted resources'.. The people didn't commit suicide. I just.. It doesn't process to me how this happens.

I think sheer panic and gravity play a part... I imagine that opening a car door outward while submerged isn't the easiest thing in the world, and punching hard enough to break a car window or windshield would be tough as well. Either way it must be a pretty terrifying way to go, ugh.

I think sheer panic and gravity play a part... I imagine that opening a car door outward while submerged isn't the easiest thing in the world, and punching hard enough to break a car window or windshield would be tough as well. Either way it must be a pretty terrifying way to go, ugh.

You can't open a car door until the vehicle floods enough that the pressure basically equalizes. So, I'm sure that plays a part.. And I'm certain the MAIN part, you've nailed.. Just sheer panic.

I suppose, especially on vehicles with power windows.. You hit the water, the electrical system shorts out, so the windows aren't coming down.. You try to open the door a few times, and cannot, you give up on that and just start beating the windows.. And you're likely not going to break them with your hands.. But.. If you wait a minute, let enough water into the car so that the pressure pressing outwards is close the the water pressure on the outside pushing in.. The door opens fine.

There's the UM tip of the day..lol.. If you drive into a pond, lake, pool... Sit back, relax, let the water fill the car about halfway and try the door again.

The Bible code segment.

It was a waste of film, production personnel, and frankly Michael Shermer's time.

The Bible code segment.

It was a waste of film, production personnel, and frankly Michael Shermer's time.

:lol: Definitely, but I do love his reaction. "Wait a minute! You've made all possible predictions--which is no prediction at all."

There's the UM tip of the day..lol.. If you drive into a pond, lake, pool... Sit back, relax, let the water fill the car about halfway and try the door again.

And then the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme as the person starts panicking after the door still doesn’t open. :D

Larry Gibson

Larry Gibson

Ugh... yes. That case makes my blood boil :mad:

The Bible code segment.

It was a waste of film, production personnel, and frankly Michael Shermer's time.

Yes! And the same is true for the James Van Praagh segment. But I really hope Shermer comes back for Netflix UM!

I saw the coin scan segment from season 2 last night, I had forgotten all about that one. I would say that entire segment was a waste of time due to the fact that the victim(s) were incredibly gullible in the first place to think it was legit.

I saw the coin scan segment from season 2 last night, I had forgotten all about that one. I would say that entire segment was a waste of time due to the fact that the victim(s) were incredibly gullible in the first place to think it was legit.

I'm going to disagree with you there. This segment at least brought awareness about the coin scam to a broader audience. Scams like this and Spanish lotto can be very convincing depending on the scam "artist".

On a personal note, this is one of the segments that stuck with me when I was a young UM viewer.

I see your point, but if the con artist was as obvious as the actor who was playing him and they still fell for it, then they probably deserved to get ripped off ;)

The woman who claimed she had met Keri Lynn Nixon

The woman who claimed she had met Keri Lynn Nixon

Good call... that was frustrating. I wonder if those waitress sightings of Patricia Meehan were accurate too. RS said "confirmed" sightings, so I assume they were but who knows.

Arthur Paul Beal (aka "Tyler")
Craig Williams
Bo Tanner
Sarah Powell
KROQ DJs
Pretty much everyone involved with the Amy Billig case
Tina Resch
The guy who sent the postcards in the Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg case

Everyone who claimed they saw Lisa Marie Kimmell and her car after she was already deceased and her car was hidden/buried.

Everyone who claimed they saw Lisa Marie Kimmell and her car after she was already deceased and her car was hidden/buried.

I think they legitimately were trying to help and that they did in fact see her car, just not at the time they thought they did.

I think they legitimately were trying to help and that they did in fact see her car, just not at the time they thought they did.

More likely they saw a car that resembled it. Frankly most eyewitness testimony is totally worthless & dangerous-dread to think how many innocent people have been convicted based on people retrofitting, mixing things up, trying to be helpful etc.

Arthur Paul Beal (aka "Tyler")
Craig Williams
Bo Tanner
Sarah Powell
KROQ DJs
Pretty much everyone involved with the Amy Billig case
Tina Resch
The guy who sent the postcards in the Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg case

The British guy in the Billig case was so ridiculous-a hells angel walking into a post office anywhere in the UK, let alone a quaint place like the one featured & randomly offering people a sex slave would create a lot of attention-yet only this guy recalled it.

Tina Resch was just a horribly sad tale-the adults in her life-both parents & adopted were just the dirt worst, she just wanted attention & to stop being abused.

The Carrie Lynn Nixon "witness" who claimed she met her in the south.

More likely they saw a car that resembled it. Frankly most eyewitness testimony is totally worthless & dangerous-dread to think how many innocent people have been convicted based on people retrofitting, mixing things up, trying to be helpful etc.

Her license plate was very distinct. It's something someone would remember.

I think they legitimately were trying to help and that they did in fact see her car, just not at the time they thought they did.

Oh for sure... it just sucks that it gave a lot of people false hope; mainly her family.

What about the Brazos Rivers case? I remember seeing somewhere that it was all fake? Please correct me if I’m wrong :wave:

The people in Kentucky who claimed they saw the valley hill lights. A paranormal investigator claimed that one of the pictures of a tombstone that someone claimed they saw a relative's name written on it was really just writing on the back of a Polaroid pack. i had forgotten about this segement . It was hilarious.

It's "KROQ" but "KROC" would be more appropriate.

Those two are still on the air to this day... still as lame and as unfunny as ever.

Those two...I've complained about them a lot in the past and I feel like it's wasted energy at this point. Not that I still don't find them scum. They paid their fines, finished their assigned community service but still never expressed remorse from any of the old articles I read. It's a shame and it's cowardly but we all know why they reacted this way; because it gave them the careers and millions of fans they enjoy to this day. It's just a shame so many grieving family members and friends of REAL murder victims with no closure and a ton of pain were given even the slightest bit of false hope as a result of their publicity stunt.

This is just another sad reminder of stupid people getting undeserved happiness as a result of their cruelty and/or ignorance. It's understandable to be angry but it's so common now that I'm numb to it.

What about the Brazos Rivers case? I remember seeing somewhere that it was all fake? Please correct me if I’m wrong :wave:

You are indeed correct. They edited it out for the Film Rise releases.

I'm actually not a fan of their doing this. Gulf Breeze UFO and subsequent whistleblowing segment were good segments, for different reasons.

More likely they saw a car that resembled it. Frankly most eyewitness testimony is totally worthless & dangerous-dread to think how many innocent people have been convicted based on people retrofitting, mixing things up, trying to be helpful etc.

Yes I agree - there have been studies after studies that people's memories play tricks on them, you think you remember this but it was really that, etc.

That said, I do think those folks who thought they saw the car really did think they saw the car.

Does Deloris Brooks count? Her story seemed off to me. (i do enjoy the story but I find it odd she couldn’t remember bumping into her teacher in a busy city then all of a sudden remembers her when someone mentioned “hey I went to school with you”)

Does Deloris Brooks count? Her story seemed off to me. (i do enjoy the story but I find it odd she couldn’t remember bumping into her teacher in a busy city then all of a sudden remembers her when someone mentioned “hey I went to school with you”)

Ugh.. Ok.. Help me again.. Which is this? I don't see how the hell you all have memories where you can just go "oh, the so-and-so".. 90% of the time I have to look up what you're talking about and half the time I have to look up what *I* am talking about (at least to get details)

Ugh.. Ok.. Help me again.. Which is this? I don't see how the hell you all have memories where you can just go "oh, the so-and-so".. 90% of the time I have to look up what you're talking about and half the time I have to look up what *I* am talking about (at least to get details)

Personally, it's because I've been watching bootlegs for the past five years with a laptop opened to the Unsolved Mysteries Wiki.

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Unsolved_Mysteries_Wiki

Personally, it's because I've been watching bootlegs for the past five years with a laptop opened to the Unsolved Mysteries Wiki.

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Unsolved_Mysteries_Wiki

Ah.. I didn't go far enough down. When I saw one of the cases wasn't titled Deloris Brooks. I stopped there.

The odder part is that she hasn't found the teacher. Shouldn't be that hard to locate.

Chad Noe's entire family that created the "hoax" of the missing in-laws when in fact they had murdered them, including the little girl. Sick, sick people.

Adding: The lady who was "crying" gold and gems.

This thread is 5 pages long and there is no mention of the magic rocks?
I'm disappointed....

Oh.. What about the woman who had the cadaver finding dog? We didn't bring that one up in here yet, did we? The one where the woman was hiding bones for the dog to find?

This thread is 5 pages long and there is no mention of the magic rocks?
I'm disappointed....

The Magic Rocks wasn't a deliberate hoax per se , it was just.....stupid.:rolleyes2

Ugh.. Ok.. Help me again.. Which is this? I don't see how the hell you all have memories where you can just go "oh, the so-and-so".. 90% of the time I have to look up what you're talking about and half the time I have to look up what *I* am talking about (at least to get details)

I know the feeling. I know the "canonical" cases off the top of my head (Angela Hammond, Kurt Sova, Tammy Lyn Leppart, the I-70 killer, Son of Sam, Resurrection Mary :lol:, Aileen Conway, Terri McClure, William Bradford Bishop, Cindy James and maybe half a dozen others), but EVERYTHING else is, "the one with the guy who disappeared on his way to work and then..."

I have been saying this for years, but WHY ON EARTH did Jim Boumgarten have to go on UM to find out who this supposed doppelgänger was? If he was running into townspeople who are confusing him with this other guy, couldn't he have simply asked one of them who the other man was? He doesn't ask any questions of the people who could give him the information he is seeking, yet he wastes UM's time asking the same questions he could easily ask his townspeople.

I also agree with the previous poster about the WW2 soldier who met his twin at the train station and then lost his info. We are either to believe that they never exchanged full names (pretty unlikely), or that they did and the soldier forgot his twin's full name within a matter of minutes (even more unlikely). This story seems very fake to me and it would be a real shame if UM sacrificed an unsolved murder or missing person story to air this drivel.

Chad Noe's entire family that created the "hoax" of the missing in-laws when in fact they had murdered them, including the little girl. Sick, sick people.

Omg you're back!!!!!

The lady who could talk to animals by rubbing them

I have been saying this for years, but WHY ON EARTH did Jim Boumgarten have to go on UM to find out who this supposed doppelgänger was? If he was running into townspeople who are confusing him with this other guy, couldn't he have simply asked one of them who the other man was? He doesn't ask any questions of the people who could give him the information he is seeking, yet he wastes UM's time asking the same questions he could easily ask his townspeople.

It was the other way around; people who knew Jim Boumgarden kept running into a man who looked like him and they thought was him. And according to an update made by Jim's son on this board several years ago, there was at least one sighting of the twin after Jim's death, by someone who had been his good friend; when asked, the twin didn't want anything to do with Jim Boumgarden's family.

Adding: The lady who was "crying" gold and gems.

"Katie" (https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Katie)... total fraudster.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

It was the other way around; people who knew Jim Boumgarden kept running into a man who looked like him and they thought was him. And according to an update made by Jim's son on this board several years ago, there was at least one sighting of the twin after Jim's death, by someone who had been his good friend; when asked, the twin didn't want anything to do with Jim Boumgarden's family.

Still sounds squirrelly, IMO.

The Carrie Lynn Nixon "witness" who claimed she met her in the south.

Yep. She just swore up and down that the girl she met gave her name as "Kari Lynn Nixon".

So many of these sightings of missing people are either:

A) Full of it.
B) Severely confused.
C) All of the above.

Watching these segments again after so many years its very frustrating to realize just how unreliable "eyewitnesses" really are.

Arthur Paul Beal (aka "Tyler")
Craig Williams
Bo Tanner
Sarah Powell
KROQ DJs
Pretty much everyone involved with the Amy Billig case
Tina Resch
The guy who sent the postcards in the Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg case

Pretty good list. Although I think Amy Billig's mom was pretty sincere. I could be misremembering.

Sarah Powell (https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Sarah_Powell) was a biggie. It's as though mom was either completely blind to her daughters deception or she was in on it.

With Craig Williamson (https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Craig_Williamson), I think that was just a case of the woman not being able to "take a hint".

If UM were still on network TV in 2019 these kind of stories would the norm.

It was the other way around; people who knew Jim Boumgarden kept running into a man who looked like him and they thought was him. And according to an update made by Jim's son on this board several years ago, there was at least one sighting of the twin after Jim's death, by someone who had been his good friend; when asked, the twin didn't want anything to do with Jim Boumgarden's family.

That’s kind of sad. If this is true, I wonder why?

It was the other way around; people who knew Jim Boumgarden kept running into a man who looked like him and they thought was him. And according to an update made by Jim's son on this board several years ago, there was at least one sighting of the twin after Jim's death, by someone who had been his good friend; when asked, the twin didn't want anything to do with Jim Boumgarden's family.

That’s kind of sad. If this is true, I wonder why?

That’s kind of sad. If this is true, I wonder why?

Some adoptees have a mentality of "If they didn't want anything to do with me, I don't want anything to do with them"

A little strange for this to extend out to a twin, who would have been in the exact same situation..

My mother was adopted and has this mentality. It's made my life difficult attempting to track down her birth family, though with assistance of 23andme and other DNA testing.. I've found who her mother was and am now in contact with someone who is from the same genetic line as her father, it would appear.. So.. I suspect I may be able to narrow that person down in the next few months.

Yes I agree - there have been studies after studies that people's memories play tricks on them, you think you remember this but it was really that, etc.

That said, I do think those folks who thought they saw the car really did think they saw the car.

Eyewitness testimony can be flawed for a wide variety of reasons, one of them being transference. Often a witness might be talking about something that happened the day before or after the crime.

A good example of this phenomenon is in the wake of the OKC Bombing, the investigators were able to trace the bumper of the U-Haul truck McVeigh used back to a specific dealership. Naturally, they went to the dealership to talk to the guy who had been there and rented out the truck. The dealer told him what he knew about McVeigh, but unintentionally caused trouble when he said that some other guy had come in with McVeigh. They did track the other guy down, but it turned out he had been at the dealership the day BEFORE McVeigh, and could produce receipts proving this and proving he was nowhere near OKC when the bombing happened.

In all likelihood the dealer in question wasn’t acting out of malice. It’s just at the moment the investigators visited, there was a lot of pressure on the dealer to give whatever information he could, not just from the authorities, but from himself as well. The guy probably wanted to do everything he could to help, and wound up unintentionally transposing his memory of the other guy, placing him at the wrong day and time.

I kind of guess that something similar was at work with Lisa Marie Kimmell. The people who reported about seeing her car likely wanted to do whatever they could to help and as a result, they transposed stuff they had witnessed. As for the license plate, maybe a few days ago while on the road, they saw a car that looked just like Lisa’s, save for the plate. Then they watched a broadcast or heard something about the case and transferred the fact about the license plate onto the car from their memories.

Regarding the Brazos River Attack, could someone point me towards some materials regarding the case? I kind of want something more extensive than what the wiki has on it.

Regarding the Brazos River Attack, could someone point me towards some materials regarding the case? I kind of want something more extensive than what the wiki has on it.

Here (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=321461&highlight=brazos) is the thread with more information about that segment.

The woman claiming to have had a past life where her boyfriend drowned & then she killed herself after discovering she was up the duff & then some random guy who watched it contacted them to say he also had a past life as her bf who drowned.

Georgia Rudolph--it has been discussed at length what a faker she was and someone even had a website about her lies on other cases. One of the most beautifully filmed UM segments, too.

All the dudes that faked amnesia to escape their lives (be it crime, marriage, etc).

Edit: actually the guy who was escaping his marriage did NOT want attention, but he did waste resources...

Did we definitely decide that fish guy was faking but his wife believed it and went on UM?

There were several segments that struck me as being "questionable," but the one that really stands out was about a soldier who spotted what could be his double at a train station during World War II. The two mention chatted briefly and exchanged contact information, but the guy who was interviewed on UM said he lost the info...and apparently the other gentleman did too because he never heard from him. As far as I know, there was never an update on this. I usually liked the "Lost Love" segments, but this one was a bit too much.

Yes, I was just going to mention that one. I believe the last name was Parker or Palmer and there was a family story about an ancestor cutting the tassel off the sultan's slipper or the like. The double had additional details of the same story. If it had been real should have brought a huge family reunion out of the woodwork. We all said, "WHAT?" when he said the double had the same last name!

I was totally also going to say Jim Boumgarden but I guess the twin was real and REALLY didn't want to associate with the family! Wonder what was up with that.

Did we definitely decide that fish guy was faking but his wife believed it and went on UM?

Craig Williamson.

I believe that.. Whether other people do or not is obviously up to them.

as i mentioned before, perhaps in this topic.. With the benefit of hindsight, you can go back and look at some of the newspaper interviews done prior to him disappearing and it's all Christine.

They had only known each other a month before getting married. I think he found out that he was in a situation he didn't want to be in and hatched this plan.. Thought he could slip away, she'd think he was dead and he'd live out a quiet life down in south Florida.

Craig Williamson.

I believe that.. Whether other people do or not is obviously up to them.

as i mentioned before, perhaps in this topic.. With the benefit of hindsight, you can go back and look at some of the newspaper interviews done prior to him disappearing and it's all Christine.

They had only known each other a month before getting married. I think he found out that he was in a situation he didn't want to be in and hatched this plan.. Thought he could slip away, she'd think he was dead and he'd live out a quiet life down in south Florida.

Hatched and slip away...that's good.

Craig Williamson.

I believe that.. Whether other people do or not is obviously up to them.

as i mentioned before, perhaps in this topic.. With the benefit of hindsight, you can go back and look at some of the newspaper interviews done prior to him disappearing and it's all Christine.

They had only known each other a month before getting married. I think he found out that he was in a situation he didn't want to be in and hatched this plan.. Thought he could slip away, she'd think he was dead and he'd live out a quiet life down in south Florida.

Sheesh, that sounds like so much work in regards to something that could have been solved so quickly and easily.

"You know, we've only been going together a month. Maybe we should slow things down a bit, postpone the wedding and see where our relationship take us."

Boom! Problem solved.

I can't say he was or was not faking. But that's such an easier situation to get out of than others. I can kind of understand someone with a criminal record getting desperate and faking amnesia. But this is such an extreme over a 4 week relationship. Nobody would logically fault him for wanting to slow things down.

Sheesh, that sounds like so much work in regards to something that could have been solved so quickly and easily.

"You know, we've only been going together a month. Maybe we should slow things down a bit, postpone the wedding and see where our relationship take us."

Boom! Problem solved.

I can't say he was or was not faking. But that's such an easier situation to get out of than others. I can kind of understand someone with a criminal record getting desperate and faking amnesia. But this is such an extreme over a 4 week relationship. Nobody would logically fault him for wanting to slow things down.


Agreed.. But I think you have two personalities that led directly to this. Christine, I think, was a very up front, controlling person. Not necessarily in a bad way.. It's just she pushed strong for what she wanted.

Craig was a laid back, take life as it happens person who seemed quite meek.

I'm willing to bet, and I have no info that I am right, just a feeling.. The getting married was Christine's idea. The fish farm might have been Craig's original idea, but the moving forward and setting it up.. Christine.

Again, I have no inside knowledge, it's just my belief based on reading articles prior to the disappearance that are just all Christine. They have pics and you see them together, but in the articles.. Not one word from Craig. Like he didn't even exist.

I tried searching for Craig, just to see if he's still alive.. I couldn't turn anything up on him. I would suspect he's still in the south Florida area. Be interested to see if Craig and Christine are 'still friends'. Last I heard, she had remarried again and was living out west somewhere.

I tried searching for Craig, just to see if he's still alive.. I couldn't turn anything up on him. I would suspect he's still in the south Florida area. Be interested to see if Craig and Christine are 'still friends'. Last I heard, she had remarried again and was living out west somewhere.

The UM wiki page says he moved to California to stay with friends and Christine moved to Wyoming to start a new life. But that was 1995. They could have lived anywhere else since then.

If Craig is alive today, he would be 75.

Sheesh, that sounds like so much work in regards to something that could have been solved so quickly and easily.

"You know, we've only been going together a month. Maybe we should slow things down a bit, postpone the wedding and see where our relationship take us."

Boom! Problem solved.

I can't say he was or was not faking. But that's such an easier situation to get out of than others. I can kind of understand someone with a criminal record getting desperate and faking amnesia. But this is such an extreme over a 4 week relationship. Nobody would logically fault him for wanting to slow things down.

We've seen so many spousal murders on these shows happen instead of just getting a divorce that I find it not at all surprising that Fish Guy was just an elaborate escape plan (and I've never thought it was anything but that).

The UM wiki page says he moved to California to stay with friends and Christine moved to Wyoming to start a new life. But that was 1995. They could have lived anywhere else since then.

If Craig is alive today, he would be 75.

Yeah.. And the guy has every right to privacy, as does Christine. I'd just be interested to hear what's gone on in the past 20 years.

We've seen so many spousal murders on these shows happen instead of just getting a divorce that I find it not at all surprising that Fish Guy was just an elaborate escape plan (and I've never thought it was anything but that).

Well.. before he was found.. I thought it might have been legitimate that he was attacked and killed. But once he turned up working as a diver in Key West, FL..

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30664631/

That's a contemporary news article from when he was found. Just all sounds.. Fishy.

All the people that were convinced that their relatives were INFAMOUS KILLERS. The three I can think of Black Dahlia, the Green River Killer, Boston Strangler. Right or wrong they just got on my nerves.

Craig Williamson just lit out on his wife.

I always got the feeling Williamson wanted out of the marriage without breaking Chrisitne's heart. So, in a way, he had good intentions?

I always got the feeling Williamson wanted out of the marriage without breaking Chrisitne's heart. So, in a way, he had good intentions?

By making her think he might be dead? In his mind he might have felt this was the "right" thing to do, but I wouldn't say this was well thought out.

By making her think he might be dead? In his mind he might have felt this was the "right" thing to do, but I wouldn't say this was well thought out.

Indeed. I think she would have gladly taken a broken heart over thinking he might be dead.

There's no good intentions involved if he faked the whole thing. That's cowardice and cruel.

Not sure if this counts, but I think the fact that UM mentioned a runner seeing a young boy sitting by the bay after Chaim Weist was murdered is pointless. I don’t think he had anything to do with the murder

Not sure if this counts, but I think the fact that UM mentioned a runner seeing a young boy sitting by the bay after Chaim Weist was murdered is pointless. I don’t think he had anything to do with the murder

Laugh out loud. That was so hokey it reminded of a scene from a cheap made for TV movie. The kid staring at the river. Heartbroken.

Every single case where people were found years later in their cars, submerged in a pond/lake/river.

Seriously.. How many cases has this been the final outcome? And if you drove into a pond, wouldn't you.. You know.. get out of the car? I guess I should be a little more understanding about this.. People tend to freak out.. But it still astounds me that people just sit there and drown in their car.

In one case, two girls were going to a known location where they would have to cross over a bridge and no serious investigation was done for 42 years while there they sat, and might have continued to sit had the river level not dropped somewhat that year.

In another case, a woman actually called 911 while sinking and drowned anyway.

50 years ago this month, Mary Jo Kopechne lived for nine hours in a submerged car and basically suffocated, not drowned, when the air pocket ran out.

The woman who claimed she had met Keri Lynn Nixon

Which I have mentioned several times. Either a nut job, just wanted to be on TV, or some girl who'd have had to hear about the case really conned her.

I have been saying this for years, but WHY ON EARTH did Jim Boumgarten have to go on UM to find out who this supposed doppelgänger was? If he was running into townspeople who are confusing him with this other guy, couldn't he have simply asked one of them who the other man was? He doesn't ask any questions of the people who could give him the information he is seeking, yet he wastes UM's time asking the same questions he could easily ask his townspeople.

I also agree with the previous poster about the WW2 soldier who met his twin at the train station and then lost his info. We are either to believe that they never exchanged full names (pretty unlikely), or that they did and the soldier forgot his twin's full name within a matter of minutes (even more unlikely). This story seems very fake to me and it would be a real shame if UM sacrificed an unsolved murder or missing person story to air this drivel.

These both aggravated me, the Boumgarden case to the point that I called the telecenter after the show where the operator informed me "people are calling up just furious." I only remember talking to them about two other cases. You would think people making a national TV show wouldn't be so dense or would explain what had already been tried if anything and why that didn't work rendering a UM segment necessary.

As for the WW2 double, he claimed the guy had the same last name so he wouldn't forget that! My parents and I all said, "WHAT?" at the same time during that one! After all, the boys named Vaughn and Vaughan found each other due to remembering the same but differently spelled last names.

How about the exorcism case that involved a team of professionals helping people deal with demons?

Then there were those psychic episodes.

It now looks as if the Allagash abductees were among the more convincing hoaxters.

https://fiddleheadfocus.com/2016/09/10/news/community/top-stories/subject-of-1976-ufo-incident-casts-doubt-on-allagash-abductions/

The one with the chubby asian lady that faked amnesia. Can't remember her name.

The one with the chubby asian lady that faked amnesia. Can't remember her name.

A side note on these UM amnesiacs: how do they always end up several states away from where they disappeared? You can't even remember your own name and the first thing you think to do is get 2000 miles away on a greyhound?

The only exception I can think of is Kyra from the original 1987 UM specials. I actually believe her, partly because she was found in her hometown.

The one with the chubby asian lady that faked amnesia. Can't remember her name.

Belinda Lin, aka Gigi

A side note on these UM amnesiacs: how do they always end up several states away from where they disappeared? You can't even remember your own name and the first thing you think to do is get 2000 miles away on a greyhound?

The only exception I can think of is Kyra from the original 1987 UM specials. I actually believe her, partly because she was found in her hometown.

Although not a pure amnesia cases, I'd add Patricia Carlton and Rogest Cain to any list of legitimate cases. I know there were more complex medical factors, not just the oh I snapped, or got hit by a nerf ball now I don't remember anything but still have skills and can function well enough to seek help while avoiding detection.

got hit by a nerf ball now I don't remember anything

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

As for hoaxsters who wasted time on the show...two words:

Sylvia Browne.

Belinda Lin, aka Gigi
She was a paranoid schizophrenic and made the whole thing up.

Some believed Heidi Wyrick, the "I See Dead People" girl, and her family were making it all up.

Many case hinge on "the family received a mysterious letter or phone call" And a lot of times said letters and or calls were proven bogus.

Allagash Abductions. Creepy segment but obvious hoax from guys who wanted attention for themselves and their art

The girl who claimed a bunch of intruders broke in to her house while her mother was out and bound her up - despite her story reaching Smollettesque levels of implausibility and there being no evidence whatsoever of any forced entry.

Oh without a doubt.

Even back when I was younger and first saw this segment, a time when I was more open to believing every word that UM told me and more compassionate towards the victims of each segment, I looked at this and thought it was hogwash.

Nothing about it makes any sense. NOTHING. So a bunch of big scary teenagers break into her house while she's home alone and ransack the house...except nothing was stolen and there was no sign of forced entry or even wet footprints, despite it being a rainy day that day. Also, lets not forget that this happened in broad daylight and apparently, nobody saw a large group of teenagers breaking into a house or walking around the neighborhood. I don't buy it.

Also, what's the motive for this? Like I said, they didn't steal anything. Were they a group of students that just wanted to mess with the girl? Maybe, but they would have had to have known ahead of time that she was going to miss school that day so they could get everything they needed to pull this prank. Again, there are some big pills to swallow here.

And of course, the girl gets amnesia which conveniently gives her an out when elements of the story don't add up. I also loved that there was a "good Samaritan" in the ranks of the gang that was nice to her. This feels like something a teen would come up with after watching a movie.

This is so implausible, it could have probably passed as one of their supernatural segments.

That Eric Tamiyasu case, what parts of that story were true outside of Eric being murdered.

The French toast and lucky pencils grandpa dream. Even if it was true, it could never be proven, and if it could, still a waste of time.

EDIT: The grandson's name was Benjamin but I don't remember any other names.

This is so implausible, it could have probably passed as one of their supernatural segments.

I think her seizures after the "incident" were one big reason as to why this segment was even included.

Forgive me if this has already been mentioned but the ppl who claim to have seen missing ppl in homeless shelters only to find out they were actually dead. Matthew Chase comes to mind. There’s another one & I can’t think of his name but he was found in a desert and had been having wild mood swings before his disappearance

Forgive me if this has already been mentioned but the ppl who claim to have seen missing ppl in homeless shelters only to find out they were actually dead. Matthew Chase comes to mind. There’s another one & I can’t think of his name but he was found in a desert and had been having wild mood swings before his disappearance

I think those (and very similar ones) are much more likely to just be honest mistakes.

The British guy in the Billig case was so ridiculous-a hells angel walking into a post office anywhere in the UK, let alone a quaint place like the one featured & randomly offering people a sex slave would create a lot of attention-yet only this guy recalled it.



haha this is a good point. this is one of the most terrible re-enactments that I can recall from the show. most of the Billig segment seems sincere, but that interaction was silly. I actually believe that it is more likely that the ohio lady was reincarnated as compared to an American Hells Angel approaching a PI in England. they could have left that out of the Billig segment.

A lot of the psychic segments turn me off now. especially when they have a prelude comment from a witness or RS stating that the psychic did not pre-read the case...LOL...OK!

I think in its heyday the supernatural elements were a massive part of the show, and there are so many copy cat shows now. but one sticks out for me and it is the psychic lady with the smokers voice that is filmed acting out the pain of being shot or stabbed(can't remember the exact details of the case) EDIT: the psychic's name was Noreen Renier

The Don Decker 'rainboy' case.

Cindy James in that she was very mentally unwell and created all these cases of harassment etc, I believe the segment stated it was the largest police investigation in Vancouver or something of the sort. But Neal Hall's book highlights so much about the case that will really make you think.


The lady who could sweat gold.


A lot of the psychic ones I find are just lucky guesses or very generic readings that would apply to most missing/murder cases. One I recall was when a couple went to see the psychic, I believe after losing a son or other family member and the psychic saw the letter K in the necklace she wore and from that would hone into common names beginning with K. Just sad how they can feed off people when they're in a vulnerable state.

I think they treated Cindy James with kid gloves in the UM segment, but it was clear that there was more going on in her mind than what was explored.

I wouldn't call it a hoax necessarily, but rather an example of what can happen if Mental Illness is left unchecked.

I think they treated Cindy James with kid gloves in the UM segment, but it was clear that there was more going on in her mind than what was explored.

I wouldn't call it a hoax necessarily, but rather an example of what can happen if Mental Illness is left unchecked.

I agree, it is a very sad case of mental illness. I feel for Cindy and it is a shame she wasn't supported in that sense.

Oh without a doubt.
And of course, the girl gets amnesia which conveniently gives her an out when elements of the story don't add up. I also loved that there was a "good Samaritan" in the ranks of the gang that was nice to her. This feels like something a teen would come up with after watching a movie.


I agree with the general consensus that it was a hoax, but I do raise an eyebrow at this for the same reason I do over the Tina Resch case.

I freely admit that I was an angry, depressed teenager who was pretty unbearable to be around, but the idea of trashing my house, claiming amnesia (going so far as to pretend that I don’t know how to use a toothbrush), or claiming magical powers, never occurred to me. How many angry, depressed teenagers are willing to put forth that kind of effort? Just stick with giving your parents the finger; you get your message across with much less effort. :p

This may be a stretch, but I thought is was shady how the Sherwood family (and UM) completely glossed over the second missing boy.

They were stretching to fit a narrative. As I recall, there was also a friend or acquaintance who found something damning in a government database, and then it disappeared.

This may be a stretch, but I thought is was shady how the Sherwood family (and UM) completely glossed over the second missing boy.

They were stretching to fit a narrative. As I recall, there was also a friend or acquaintance who found something damning in a government database, and then it disappeared.

The Clifford Sherwood disappearance is definitely one where I switched my opinion after reading crystaldawn's blog and listening to RobinW's podcast. I'm not sure if the blame lies with UM, Clifford's mother, or a combo, but we definitely did not get the whole story on that case.

I still feel horrible for his mom because she had to go so long without her little boy and without knowing. It also sounds like Clifford's dad was a piece of trash for starting and abandoning families the way he did. But it still doesn't mean the UM presentation should have been so distorted and to all but ignore George Grumbly.

I agree, it is a very sad case of mental illness. I feel for Cindy and it is a shame she wasn't supported in that sense.

I feel for Cindy. But I have zero sympathy for the Vancouver Police. They stopped believing she was being terrorized roughly a year and half in. That means for the next 4-5 years, they continued giving her security basically with an eye roll. Yet they never saw a thing.

They would always inform her when security was being taken off and that's when another incident would happen. All they had to do was tell her security was done for the day but secretly continue to observe her to hopefully catch her in the act. If they catch just one instance (dead cats thrown in the front yard, garden destroyed, porch lights smashed, phone lines cut, etc.) then it's reported to police, family and her psychotherapist and she's given the help she needs. No more trauma, no more pain, no more investigation and everyone gets to go back to their normal lives.

But that didn't happen. Instead, they let this go on year after year after year. The time, money and resources that were wasted was because of the Vancouver Police's incompetence.

I feel for Cindy. But I have zero sympathy for the Vancouver Police. They stopped believing she was being terrorized roughly a year and half in. That means for the next 4-5 years, they continued giving her security basically with an eye roll. Yet they never saw a thing.

I agree... I also think had this happened today, Cindy would have (hopefully?) received the care she needed to get better and that she'd still be alive.

Whether or not this was real to begin with, we know it eventually drove her to make up some of the events. However, I'm sure that had as much to do with not being believed and/or treated as anything.

Back when this happened, LE had very little time or sympathy for mental health issues. People were just "nuts" and they were often ignored or mistreated. Cindy was obviously suffering even before these attacks happened. She had some serious mental trauma in her life and things just kept getting worse. I have to believe many people in the Vancouver PD today aren't proud of how her case was handled back then. Because they definitely did her no favors when she was alive.

I feel for Cindy. But I have zero sympathy for the Vancouver Police. They stopped believing she was being terrorized roughly a year and half in. That means for the next 4-5 years, they continued giving her security basically with an eye roll. Yet they never saw a thing.

They would always inform her when security was being taken off and that's when another incident would happen. All they had to do was tell her security was done for the day but secretly continue to observe her to hopefully catch her in the act. If they catch just one instance (dead cats thrown in the front yard, garden destroyed, porch lights smashed, phone lines cut, etc.) then it's reported to police, family and her psychotherapist and she's given the help she needs. No more trauma, no more pain, no more investigation and everyone gets to go back to their normal lives.

But that didn't happen. Instead, they let this go on year after year after year. The time, money and resources that were wasted was because of the Vancouver Police's incompetence.

Very valid point, you would definitely think with how much was invested into the case and how many were involved, somebody would have thought to do this:confused:

I don't know about that. Are there any time and resource-wasting attention-seeking hoaxsters on Sitcoms Online?

Very valid point, you would definitely think with how much was invested into the case and how many were involved, somebody would have thought to do this:confused:

One of the police officers mentioned this during Cindy's inquest, about wishing to catch her in the act. Yeah. File this under things that would have been more useful five years ago. :rolleyes:

Yep. She just swore up and down that the girl she met gave her name as "Kari Lynn Nixon".

So many of these sightings of missing people are either:

A) Full of it.
B) Severely confused.
C) All of the above.

Watching these segments again after so many years its very frustrating to realize just how unreliable "eyewitnesses" really are.

It is funny you mentioned that specific one. It seems like Unsolved Mysteries producers like to grasp for straws. So many "facts" they report are way off and can lead investigations in the wrong direction.

The Carrie Lynn Nixon "witness" who claimed she met her in the south.

Thank you. I always thought that lady was a big faker by the dramatic way she directly addressed the camera. Second and less likely answer would be some teenager as a joke used the name of a missing person but the case may not have been publicized that far away.

The Clifford Sherwood disappearance is definitely one where I switched my opinion after reading crystaldawn's blog and listening to RobinW's podcast. I'm not sure if the blame lies with UM, Clifford's mother, or a combo, but we definitely did not get the whole story on that case.

I still feel horrible for his mom because she had to go so long without her little boy and without knowing. It also sounds like Clifford's dad was a piece of trash for starting and abandoning families the way he did. But it still doesn't mean the UM presentation should have been so distorted and to all but ignore George Grumbly.

I have tried looking into the Clifford Sherwood case and never got far. Has anyone learned, or tried to learn, whether the torso of a young boy which was found was preserved anywhere? Family DNA would rule in or out whether it was Clifford or Georges, and maybe solve who it was.

I have tried looking into the Clifford Sherwood case and never got far. Has anyone learned, or tried to learn, whether the torso of a young boy which was found was preserved anywhere? Family DNA would rule in or out whether it was Clifford or Georges, and maybe solve who it was.

I have no idea if the torso was preserved. But I still remember how ridiculous that part of the segment was. How exactly was Frances supposed to identify that lower torso? It was of a young boy who had been dead for approximately a year, long after the decomposition process had taken place. Could you identify a family member by looking at their skeleton? Because I know I couldn't.

It was a stupid 1955 way of thinking. A lower skeleton of a child is found 100 miles away so police conclude it must be Clifford's and then they ask Frances to come in to a morgue and sign a statement that the remains are her son's. There was no DNA testing back in those days so they gave her something, said it was her son with absolutely no proof, asked her prove something that couldn't be proven and then basically place blame on her for being in denial.

I have no idea if the torso was preserved. But I still remember how ridiculous that part of the segment was. How exactly was Frances supposed to identify that lower torso? It was of a young boy who had been dead for approximately a year, long after the decomposition process had taken place. Could you identify a family member by looking at their skeleton? Because I know I couldn't.

It was a stupid 1955 way of thinking. A lower skeleton of a child is found 100 miles away so police conclude it must be Clifford's and then they ask Frances to come in to a morgue and sign a statement that the remains are her son's. There was no DNA testing back in those days so they gave her something, said it was her son with absolutely no proof, asked her prove something that couldn't be proven and then basically place blame on her for being in denial.

I'm really glad you posted this. It has bothered me for years that people have blamed Frances for being "in denial" for not accepting the torso as her son's. How on Earth would she be able to identify a lower skeleton conclusively as being Clifford's? If there had been DNA testing back then and she'd refused to have it tested, that would be denial. She made the right call to keep searching instead after being asked to simply just accept her son had been found in a completely unidentifiable state.

It's heartbreaking to watch this segment. This woman was wronged in so many ways and passed without ever learning what became of her son. I get misty eyed thinking of the opening scene transitioning from the 50s (where she and Clifford are portrayed by actors) to the 90s when she is standing on her porch still waiting for Clifford.

Cindy James at number 1. Then all the folks who claimed amnesia. There's not one of them I believe.

Some believed Heidi Wyrick, the "I See Dead People" girl, and her family were making it all up.

They can think what they want to, but I believe Heidi did see "Mr. Gordy" and Con/Lon. Plus, if you watch the special "A Haunting in Georgia," there was a ton that UM just could not include because of time constraints, like the oh-so-creepy "dark figure" that was seen by more people than just Heidi and "The Beast" that was also seen by more people than just Heidi.

I feel for Cindy. But I have zero sympathy for the Vancouver Police. They stopped believing she was being terrorized roughly a year and half in. That means for the next 4-5 years, they continued giving her security basically with an eye roll. Yet they never saw a thing.

They would always inform her when security was being taken off and that's when another incident would happen. All they had to do was tell her security was done for the day but secretly continue to observe her to hopefully catch her in the act. If they catch just one instance (dead cats thrown in the front yard, garden destroyed, porch lights smashed, phone lines cut, etc.) then it's reported to police, family and her psychotherapist and she's given the help she needs. No more trauma, no more pain, no more investigation and everyone gets to go back to their normal lives.

But that didn't happen. Instead, they let this go on year after year after year. The time, money and resources that were wasted was because of the Vancouver Police's incompetence.

If she was mentally ill, which you can make a strong case for, then yes, it's complete incompetence and a lack of understanding of mental health issues that existed in that era.

those wacky wackers

I don't believe they were making it up, but I do believe they knew more about it than they let on. I didn't really buy the story of the nondescript guy who attacked Mrs. Wacker when she let him in to use the phone. As composites go, that one was bland. It could have been anybody.

Mexican UFO

Rain Man

The woman who claimed she saw strange lights outside her house (and the man who said he saw them too, but "didn't think to take a photo".)

Bruce Kelly, the man who claimed he was the reincarnation of a soldier from WWII, and he even went to visit the soldier's relatives.

Ernest Acosta and Caroline Schlesser from the Audrey Moate segment.

Definitely Katie, the gold sweating “psychic”. The woman that claimed she drowned in the Ohio River in the 1800s,and the fertility statues.

The woman claiming to have had a past life where her boyfriend drowned & then she killed herself after discovering she was up the duff & then some random guy who watched it contacted them to say he also had a past life as her bf who drowned.

Georgia Rudolph--one of the most beautifully filmed and worst researched cases on the entire series.

Yes! And the same is true for the James Van Praagh segment. But I really hope Shermer comes back for Netflix UM!

Agree James Van Praagh was a faker.

The woman who claimed she had met Keri Lynn Nixon

There is a vague chance that some runaway or just mischievous teenager was pranking her with a name she heard in the news, but I've always thought this woman just wanted to be on TV.

The Carrie Lynn Nixon "witness" who claimed she met her in the south.

Agree, she struck me as a drama queen psycho.

What about the Brazos Rivers case? I remember seeing somewhere that it was all fake? Please correct me if I’m wrong :wave:

Has the son ever come forward and said it never happened?

I have been saying this for years, but WHY ON EARTH did Jim Boumgarten have to go on UM to find out who this supposed doppelgänger was? If he was running into townspeople who are confusing him with this other guy, couldn't he have simply asked one of them who the other man was? He doesn't ask any questions of the people who could give him the information he is seeking, yet he wastes UM's time asking the same questions he could easily ask his townspeople.

I also agree with the previous poster about the WW2 soldier who met his twin at the train station and then lost his info. We are either to believe that they never exchanged full names (pretty unlikely), or that they did and the soldier forgot his twin's full name within a matter of minutes (even more unlikely). This story seems very fake to me and it would be a real shame if UM sacrificed an unsolved murder or missing person story to air this drivel.

On Jim Boumgarten or Baumgarten or whatever his name was, I called the telecenter that night to ask this very question and the operator said "people have been calling up just furious" about this. He is my number one example of believing he faked the whole thing for attention and should NEVER have gotten on the air! He could have solved this "case" with local newspaper articles and TV news segments or by simply ASKING any of the people who mistook him for the lookalike who they thought he was, getting the guy's name, finding his address, and showing up on his doorstep if necessary! I later heard that his having a sister who was given up for adoption was true. Does anyone know if the twin story was true? If adoption records could be accessed, the real birth certificate could be found and that would easily show single or multiple birth. I am quite :mad: over this one! I still think of it from time to time. Can anyone answer my questions? If so please also post the info on the thread about this case.

It was the other way around; people who knew Jim Boumgarden kept running into a man who looked like him and they thought was him. And according to an update made by Jim's son on this board several years ago, there was at least one sighting of the twin after Jim's death, by someone who had been his good friend; when asked, the twin didn't want anything to do with Jim Boumgarden's family.

That's interesting if true about the twin. Does anyone have further details?

Also, the first statement is only half correct. People did come up to Jim and ask him why he didn't respond when they tried to speak to him earlier in places he had never been, but Jim also stated that strangers would greet him warmly. He never said a thing about asking a single one of these strangers who they thought he was. He could have had a name and all sorts of details right there...if his story was true.

This may be a stretch, but I thought is was shady how the Sherwood family (and UM) completely glossed over the second missing boy.

They were stretching to fit a narrative. As I recall, there was also a friend or acquaintance who found something damning in a government database, and then it disappeared.

Personally I always believed Clifford's father murdered Georges and that his was the boy's torso found later, and that his father threatened Clifford into silence or he would end up like Georges, but I could be way off on that.

I see your point, but if the con artist was as obvious as the actor who was playing him and they still fell for it, then they probably deserved to get ripped off ;)

It's not always that obvious. If you aren't aware or listening to that inner voice that says something is off or too good to be true, you can really get taken.

My vote for potential hoaxer is Gasparetto, the artist in Sao Paulo who supposedly channels Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir. We have a name for that now. It's called AI.

I agree... I also think had this happened today, Cindy would have (hopefully?) received the care she needed to get better and that she'd still be alive.

Whether or not this was real to begin with, we know it eventually drove her to make up some of the events. However, I'm sure that had as much to do with not being believed and/or treated as anything.

Back when this happened, LE had very little time or sympathy for mental health issues. People were just "nuts" and they were often ignored or mistreated. Cindy was obviously suffering even before these attacks happened. She had some serious mental trauma in her life and things just kept getting worse. I have to believe many people in the Vancouver PD today aren't proud of how her case was handled back then. Because they definitely did her no favors when she was alive.

If this had happened today, there would have been cell phone and body cam video evidence. And they'd have been able to track her with "Find My Phone".

There is a vague chance that some runaway or just mischievous teenager was pranking her with a name she heard in the news, but I've always thought this woman just wanted to be on TV.

I can't speak to whether she wanted to be on TV or not but I legit believe Shirley Kannapel thought she had seen Kari and wanted to help.

Kari's missing posters were hung everywhere. I have no doubt that the two girls saw one of the posters, thought that Kari looked very much like her friend and decided to try and play a trick on an old lady. So they walk up to Shirley and say, "this is my friend Kari Lynn Nixon."

When the police track down one of these girls, they ask her where is your friend who said her name was Kari? And the girl suffers the most conveniently timed "memory lapse" ever and says she can't remember. In reality, she knew she was sort of busted so she had to lie in order to avoid getting in trouble with her parents and the police.

I can't speak to whether she wanted to be on TV or not but I legit believe Shirley Kannapel thought she had seen Kari and wanted to help.

Kari's missing posters were hung everywhere. I have no doubt that the two girls saw one of the posters, thought that Kari looked very much like her friend and decided to try and play a trick on an old lady. So they walk up to Shirley and say, "this is my friend Kari Lynn Nixon."

When the police track down one of these girls, they ask her where is your friend who said her name was Kari? And the girl suffers the most conveniently timed "memory lapse" ever and says she can't remember. In reality, she knew she was sort of busted so she had to lie in order to avoid getting in trouble with her parents and the police.

I agree. In all these years I never got the impression Shirley was lying about anything.

Michael Jones, the kid who claimed to see ghosts
I don't believe him, and I just don't like this segment anyway because the acting in it is terrible.

I can't speak to whether she wanted to be on TV or not but I legit believe Shirley Kannapel thought she had seen Kari and wanted to help.

Kari's missing posters were hung everywhere. I have no doubt that the two girls saw one of the posters, thought that Kari looked very much like her friend and decided to try and play a trick on an old lady. So they walk up to Shirley and say, "this is my friend Kari Lynn Nixon."

When the police track down one of these girls, they ask her where is your friend who said her name was Kari? And the girl suffers the most conveniently timed "memory lapse" ever and says she can't remember. In reality, she knew she was sort of busted so she had to lie in order to avoid getting in trouble with her parents and the police.

There were also the letters mailed from Flint, Michigan saying that Kari was alive in Eutawville...which is what kickstarted the missing persons posters being put all over Eutawville.