Just re-watched the episode and stumbled upon these videos.

https://www.muckrock.com/foi/bradford-27978/dale-kerstetter-surveillance-video-september-1987-68535/#file-801454

I downloaded the first 2 videos and they're extremely grainy. They're also enormous files that cover hours of (empty) surveillance. I know that there's huge fans of the show though that I'm sure would still like to check it out. I did a quick search on here and couldn't find this posted. If I'm wrong, feel free to delete.

Wow. Though after looking at it for a few seconds I can see why the police didn't object to releasing it. The original tapes were severely degraded when these were encoded.

Damn. I clicked on this with extreme cynicism thinking it would be some lame question like "why didn't they use the actual footage" that has been asked 72 times in the past. However, I was blown away to see the real footage is actually available. I legit had no idea. Thanks so much!

Now if we can just get the Redwood City arson video....

EDIT: These look like DVD complient files. It should be possible to drop them into a folder and burn to DVDR should anyone care to do that.

EDIT 2: Damn, these are pretty much unwatchable.

What did you use to play the files? My device doesn’t recognize any of the formats. :confused:

What did you use to play the files? My device doesn’t recognize any of the formats. :confused:

If you download all seven of the files into the same folder, you should be able to open the file called VIDEO_TS.IFO and it will play the video like it is a DVD. Software such as Windows Media Player should be able to handle it. Not sure what to tell you if you have a Mac, as I don't have one myself.

As to the video itself, while it is remarkable that this footage was made available, it is extremely difficult to make heads or tales of it. First, there are some major tracking problems that cause distortion and picture disturbances throughout the entire video making it nearly impossible to watch. Second, it appears the tape was recorded on a continuous loop that cycles through three camera angles holding each view for less than a second.

I would guess camera angle 2 is the one where the "action" takes place, as it sort of looks like what was shown in the re-enactment on UM.

The entire thing lasts about 84 minutes, or one hour and twenty four minutes. There is a time stamp indicating the tape begins around 10:07pm on 9/12/87. Maybe if we knew at what times things occurred that night we could make more sense of the tape.

Unfortunately, I have to go to bed and my patience is wearing thin, otherwise I'd look more deeply.

Anyone else care to lead the charge?

What did you use to play the files? My device doesn’t recognize any of the formats. :confused:

VLC media player plays the videos. I am pretty sure that only the first 2 download links (the .vob files) are the only video links.
Again, the videos are very, very grainy. I mostly just skipped through and found nothing. Don't expect the picture to be as clear as they were in the segment.

Just playing around with the video. It is best to watch it in slow motion.

You can see the intruder with the mask appear around the 38:49 minute mark on camera angle 1 - it looks like this was at 11:59:41pm per the timestamp on the video.

I'm guessing this is when he was taking the platinum, but it's really hard to tell. He is dressed exactly the same as the actor in the UM re-enactment.

EDIT: Unless my eyes are deceiving me, you can see Kerstetter and thief walk out of camera range around the 13:08 point. It looks similar to the UM re-enactment.

As grainy as it is i'm very intrigued by this, I was able to see those points you noted. Such a shame though it isn't more clear but hey at least it's something.

A few more comments.

The tape does not play in real time. It appears the video was recorded at an extremely slow speed, so watching it in real time is like watching it sped up. For example, from the time stamps we can tell that the footage begins around 10:07pm and ends at around 2:09am - roughly 4 hours of time, yet the length of the entire video is just 1:24:01. I'm guessing this is some feature of the surveillance system to save tape. Unfortunately, it makes watching this difficult.

You can see Kerstetter and the thief begin walking around 13:09:03 on camera view 2, just after the view switches from camera 1.

At 13:09:29, Kerstetter looks at the camera.

At 13:10:06, the view begins to switch to camera 3

When the view returns to camera 2 at 13:12:11, Kerstetter and the thief are gone.

Going by the timestamps, the thief and Kerstetter talk around 10:45pm. The thief is seen taking the platinum around 11:59pm. So, about an hour and ten minutes. This crime took a LONG time.

I'll add more comments later.

The tape does not play in real time.

This reminds me of the start of every episode of "24" when you hear Kiefer say "All events occur in real time.":lol:

Going by the timestamps, the thief and Kerstetter talk around 10:45pm. The thief is seen taking the platinum around 11:59pm. So, about an hour and ten minutes. This crime took a LONG time.

This leads me to one of two conclusions:

1) The perp felt comfortable being there that long because Dale was in on it

2) The perp felt comfortable being there that long because Dale was dead and he knew there were no other guards and/or nothing bad would happen if Dale didn't check in every hour

The perp obviously had a lot of insider information to know the platinum was there, how to find it, and how to get it out. I don't think Dale was in on it, but I heavily suspect Dale knew his killer and probably wasn't scared for his life (at least initially). There has to be a fairly small group of suspects here.

Thank you justin and Kyle for your help on the video!

Even seeking out those timestamps, slowed down in VLC loading the entire disk folder, I can't see a thing. It's so hard to make out what's pixelation, what's a person, and what's just degradation

Even seeking out those timestamps, slowed down in VLC loading the entire disk folder, I can't see a thing. It's so hard to make out what's pixelation, what's a person, and what's just degradation

I know. I actually burned the footage to a DVDR and watched the disc on fast forward until I noticed movement. Then, I isolated the times of those movements and watched on my computer using TMPEGEnc on the original MPEG files. That was how I derived those times. Once you see where things are, it's easy to find and see them.

You can see Kerstetter and the thief together on camera at 00:13:09:03 at camera view 2 (should be a 2 in the upper left corner).

The thief appears alone around 00:39:01:11. Camera view 1.

You have to play around with it a bit and rock the footage back and forth. Once you see those movements, everything else just kinda falls into place.

Wow. I have been waiting to see this footage... I want to say my whole life. But that isn’t quite true. I saw this segment as a kid, I was about 8 or 9 and saw it when it originally aired on NBC. Seeing it as a kid and then not seeing the segment again for many years, I had believed that the footage shown on tv was the real camera footage. Once I was older and began researching the case a bit (this was one that always stuck with me), I of course knew it had been recreated and since then I’ve been anxiously waiting to see the real footage one day. But now that it’s here, this is quite disappointing. The quality of the footage has degraded so much that I honestly don’t know how anything could be picked out of it. I can see Dale and the intruder, but I have no idea which way anyone is looking. Dale is barely visible and if I didn’t know the masked man was there, I probably would t have even noticed him at all.

As certain details were known because of this video, we have to assume that it was once in much better shape and had a sharper picture. After so many years though, the footage is barely comprehensible. The factory is about the only thing I can make out halfway clearly.

So according to the UM segment, the masked man was seen initially (pacing slightly). Has anyone located this portion of the real tape? I’m looking and have some experience in video editing. If I can isolate all of the key moments I can try to enhance the footage slightly. I’m not overly skilled in that area, but as long as we’ve waited to see this, it’s worth a shot. I’ll keep searching myself as well. Chime in if anyone finds anything as is

So according to the UM segment, the masked man was seen initially (pacing slightly). Has anyone located this portion of the real tape? I’m looking and have some experience in video editing. If I can isolate all of the key moments I can try to enhance the footage slightly. I’m not overly skilled in that area, but as long as we’ve waited to see this, it’s worth a shot. I’ll keep searching myself as well. Chime in if anyone finds anything as is

I couldn't find it, but I didn't look real hard either. Another key moment would be the thief using a moving dolly to transport a bag that may have contained the platinum or Dale Kerstetter :eek:

One clue that might help is the camera angles.

Camera angle 1 is where (I'm guessing) the thief returns to steal the platinum at 00:39:01:11.

Camera angle 2 is where the thief and Dale interact at 00:13:09:03

Camera angle 3 appears to be a long shot of some kind of hallway or corridor.

Assuming the re-eanctements shown on UM are accurate (which it looks like they are) the moving dolly bit would be on camera 3 and the thief pacing would be on camera 2. Unfortunately, camera 2 has extreme grain, especially in the background where I'm guessing the thief would be visible. It may not be possible to see him on this version of the tape due to the poor quality.

For those who have had a chance to watch/study the actual video, any theories as to why LE kept it from the public for so long?

I couldn't find it, but I didn't look real hard either. Another key moment would be the thief using a moving dolly to transport a bag that may have contained the platinum or Dale Kerstetter :eek:

One clue that might help is the camera angles.

Camera angle 1 is where (I'm guessing) the thief returns to steal the platinum at 00:39:01:11.

Camera angle 2 is where the thief and Dale interact at 00:13:09:03

Camera angle 3 appears to be a long shot of some kind of hallway or corridor.

Assuming the re-eanctements shown on UM are accurate (which it looks like they are) the moving dolly bit would be on camera 3 and the thief pacing would be on camera 2. Unfortunately, camera 2 has extreme grain, especially in the background where I'm guessing the thief would be visible. It may not be possible to see him on this version of the tape due to the poor quality.

I just reviewed the UM segment for some reference. They show the thief pacing, Dale meeting the thief, and the dolly, all in the same place (camera 2 as you noted).The only indication they give of another camera angle showing the thief going after the platinum offers a possible third angle. However, other than making that portion black and white, UM did little to make it appear the same as the rest of the footage. So that one alone I’d take with a grain of salt. However, I assume it is likely close to the footage in that instance as well.

The dramatic portions of the re-enactment (meaning portions that are not recreations of the tape) show a few more angles. According to Dale’s daughter in the main thread on this case, UM used the actual location to film.

Of note however is when they show the Corning Security chief reviewing the tape, it does show a flipping sequence on the monitor he is watching. It seems to match what we are now seeing but the camera lingers on each sequence longer than in this tape. I am not certain if this little snippet shows the recreated footage or if we are seeing video from the actual cameras in that particular bit. It only shows the empty factory so it is difficult to tell. From what I see though, I believe this too was recreated for the segment. The angles match the recreated footage more than the real footage.

I also found it strange that UM recreated everything as accurately as they did, but still have the masked man behind and to Dale’s left (right side of the screen), whereas the real footage has him on Dale’s right (left of Dale on the screen). If the man was holding a gun to Dale’s back, this indicates the man was left handed. Did UM goof? Or I wonder if that was a fact they were withholding at the time?

In any case the body language seen on the real video to me seems to be more obvious that Dale is being coerced. The man is slightly further behind Dale and appears to be in such a posture as to be holding a weapon, presumably a gun, to Dale’s back. As muddy as the footage is, Dale seems to be scared as far as I can tell.

For those who have had a chance to watch/study the actual video, any theories as to why LE kept it from the public for so long?

The footage has degraded so badly that it would not be helpful in doing much for the case so it’s hard to tell. The only thing I can see is that the real footage could possibly indicate the masked man as being left handed where the UM recreation could indicate him being right handed). But that seems a stretch as to being the reason they would withhold it so long.

Short answer: it’s hard to tell

For those who have had a chance to watch/study the actual video, any theories as to why LE kept it from the public for so long?

I have to imagine a lot of it comes from the fact that it is hard to see and hard to get an accurate picture, so it probably has less value to the general public. With that said, this was the best evidence they had and there may have been some value in not showing the exact video to the public. I don't see anything that is remarkable, but LE must have. That's my best guess.

I have to imagine a lot of it comes from the fact that it is hard to see and hard to get an accurate picture, so it probably has less value to the general public. With that said, this was the best evidence they had and there may have been some value in not showing the exact video to the public. I don't see anything that is remarkable, but LE must have. That's my best guess.

Agreed. Also, it is a video picture that has 3 cameras feeding into it. Each camera shows its display for literally 1 second at a time (I checked). This was used back in the day (and really up to the digital era) to conserve the video tape being used. Standard VHS tapes if left recording continuously only had up to 6-8 hours of tape on them at the slowest speed. But this slower speed also gave a lower quality recording. I have no idea what speed they recorded this at. The frames that are clear, although very dark, are quite clear for what you might expect. Surveillance videos from then would have the recorder do rapid bursts of a few frames at a time. So if even just one camera was used, it would give a very jerky motion to anyone seen moving in it as it was basically missing frames.

But as far as watching it more than frame by frame, it is almost like trying to consistently watch a strobe light. Add to that the degraded video and the bit of static that video from that time had when switching inputs and it is quite frustrating to watch. UM likely recreated the sequences just to give a more fluid video.

I couldn't find it, but I didn't look real hard either. Another key moment would be the thief using a moving dolly to transport a bag that may have contained the platinum or Dale Kerstetter :eek:

One clue that might help is the camera angles.

Camera angle 1 is where (I'm guessing) the thief returns to steal the platinum at 00:39:01:11.

Camera angle 2 is where the thief and Dale interact at 00:13:09:03

Camera angle 3 appears to be a long shot of some kind of hallway or corridor.

Assuming the re-eanctements shown on UM are accurate (which it looks like they are) the moving dolly bit would be on camera 3 and the thief pacing would be on camera 2. Unfortunately, camera 2 has extreme grain, especially in the background where I'm guessing the thief would be visible. It may not be possible to see him on this version of the tape due to the poor quality.

Ok, I'm literally going through this frame by frame. It makes sense to me that if the cameras were running continuously through the night, that the police have this file edited to start at the first sign of anything irregular. So my guess is that the masked man has to be shortly after the start of the footage. This being said, he is wearing very dark clothing as we can see from the known places he shows up on the tape. So far, I think I may have spotted some movement that could be consistent with a person pacing at time index 00:55:20. So just under a minute into the footage. It is on the right side of the screen and just above where Dale is later seen walking with the man. I'm not certain, but I think this may be the pacing sequence.

For those unable to view, here is a screen shot of what the video shows. This is from the supposed "looking at the camera" frame. As you can see, this is pretty poor quality. This is one of the better quality images from the footage as well. I found this on facebook and its possible the person posting enhanced it slightly. I also lightened it and increased the contrast myself. This makes a little more detail visible.

For those unable to view, here is a screen shot of what the video shows. This is from the supposed "looking at the camera" frame. As you can see, this is pretty poor quality. This is one of the better quality images from the footage as well. I found this on facebook and its possible the person posting enhanced it slightly. I also lightened it and increased the contrast myself. This makes a little more detail visible.

I can still hear RS voice saying something like the police have asked us not to show the tape.

But that said, to finally see it as it happened, however poor the quality ... mind blowing in a good way... eerie and haunting all at the same time. Thank you.

For those who have had a chance to watch/study the actual video, any theories as to why LE kept it from the public for so long?

To be honest, I have no idea. As some posters have pointed out, it could be that there was something in the original footage that we can't see in the current form of the footage due to the extremely poor quality.

Working off that, the cynic in me wonders if the police held the footage back for so many years just to avoid potential legal hassles, but now that so much time has passed and perhaps upon a recent review of the footage, they decided what the Hell?

Apparently, an earlier request for the footage was rejected.

https://www.muckrock.com/foi/pennsylvania-126/psp-september-1987-dale-kerstetter-surveillance-video-corning-glassworks-68538/

Then the police released the footage, but cited the poor quality...

https://www.muckrock.com/foi/bradford-27978/dale-kerstetter-surveillance-video-september-1987-68535/#file-801454

Here is another from the other camera view. This is where the pipe was taken from according to the show. The camera angle here is so spot on, I almost wonder if they used the surveillance camera mount to place the UM camera on.

This one is very washed out. All views from this camera look this way. It almost appears like an infrared night vision camera being used in daylight. However, in this case I believe it is just the light reflecting off the kiln along with the poor quality of the old tape.

The screen capture on this one seems to squish the picture into the space on here making it taller than it should be. But the person is still quite clear. This would be from the portion in the segment just prior to the thief hopping up on top of the machinery.

I just reviewed the UM segment for some reference. They show the thief pacing, Dale meeting the thief, and the dolly, all in the same place (camera 2 as you noted).The only indication they give of another camera angle showing the thief going after the platinum offers a possible third angle. However, other than making that portion black and white, UM did little to make it appear the same as the rest of the footage. So that one alone I’d take with a grain of salt. However, I assume it is likely close to the footage in that instance as well.

Thanks for the correction. I just watched the UM segment myself and you are right. All of the re-enactments of the footage itself appear to be from camera 2. Though it is hinted at the possibility of another angle of the thief stealing the platinum (camera 1) which seems to match what we see on the actual tapes.


The dramatic portions of the re-enactment (meaning portions that are not recreations of the tape) show a few more angles. According to Dale’s daughter in the main thread on this case, UM used the actual location to film.

That would appear to the case. The view from the real camera 2 is eerily similar to UM's reenactment of the thief and Kerstetter interacting.

Of note however is when they show the Corning Security chief reviewing the tape, it does show a flipping sequence on the monitor he is watching. It seems to match what we are now seeing but the camera lingers on each sequence longer than in this tape. I am not certain if this little snippet shows the recreated footage or if we are seeing video from the actual cameras in that particular bit. It only shows the empty factory so it is difficult to tell. From what I see though, I believe this too was recreated for the segment. The angles match the recreated footage more than the real footage.

With respect to the scenes of the security staff watching the footage, it does seem (to my eyes, at least) to mirror the re-enactments, not the real footage.

It is also worth noting that perhaps if the tape was played on the original deck it was recorded on, the playback would be slowed to provide a smoother visual. I still think a part of the problem is that we don't know the speed the footage was originally recorded at. However, it appears to be considerably slower than real time since the footage spans about 4 hours of continuous clock time as indicated by the timestamp on the video, yet the "real" time (i.e., length of the DVD) is only 1 hour and 24 minutes. This is also consistent with the surveillance technology of the era. This was clearly a VHS tape and it would be recorded at a much slower speed to conserve tape.

I also found it strange that UM recreated everything as accurately as they did, but still have the masked man behind and to Dale’s left (right side of the screen), whereas the real footage has him on Dale’s right (left of Dale on the screen). If the man was holding a gun to Dale’s back, this indicates the man was left handed. Did UM goof? Or I wonder if that was a fact they were withholding at the time?

Hmmm. One oddity I noticed is that Stack mentioned in the narration that Dale's shift started at 11pm. Yet, if the time stamp is to be believed, he interacts with thief at 10:45pm. So, at least 15 minutes prior to the stat of his shift. Was Dale just strolling around the plant prior to the official start of his shift? and encountered the thief?

Something else that occurred to me, are we sure that this sequence is, in fact, Dale and the thief leaving together? The thief is pretty hard to see, assuming he is there. Dale is pretty clear, however.

In any case the body language seen on the real video to me seems to be more obvious that Dale is being coerced. The man is slightly further behind Dale and appears to be in such a posture as to be holding a weapon, presumably a gun, to Dale’s back. As muddy as the footage is, Dale seems to be scared as far as I can tell.

Personally, I'm never a fan of these types of analyses simply because human nature is subject to nearly infinite variation and we tend to insert our own biases in to any interpretation or analysis of the actions of others.

Here is another from the other camera view. This is where the pipe was taken from according to the show. The camera angle here is so spot on, I almost wonder if they used the surveillance camera mount to place the UM camera on.

This one is very washed out. All views from this camera look this way. It almost appears like an infrared night vision camera being used in daylight. However, in this case I believe it is just the light reflecting off the kiln along with the poor quality of the old tape.

The screen capture on this one seems to squish the picture into the space on here making it taller than it should be. But the person is still quite clear. This would be from the portion in the segment just prior to the thief hopping up on top of the machinery.

It seems there is some light source very close to the camera that is so bright is it literally creating an obstruction of view.

Have you been able to ascertain at what point the thief leaves this area? I tried tracking his movements, but it seemed like he must have disappeared when the footage was showing us a different camera angle.

If we can figure out at what point he leaves, I'm guessing the dolly sequence would be closely after.

Also, do we know if this is the first appearance of the thief without Kerstetter? I'd be curious to know exactly how much time elapsed between Kerstetter's exit and the the thief's reappearance. Offhand, I would guess at least an hour and ten minutes, give or take.

I know what you mean about the analysis. And I agree. However, even if the facial expression is not clear in this tape, I don't even see Dale look into the camera. I see his face looking down almost as if in fear of what is come. But I will concede that is just my opinion and I have always felt Dale was innocent.

Ive been posting tonight as I comb through the footage. The kiln footage (camera 2) I would say that UM got spot on. You could almost overlap the two pieces of footage on top of one another and the angle would be nearly identical.

I am not certain that I have found the pacing portion yet. It seems logical it would be near the beginning of the video, but the masked man is wearing such dark clothing, he is difficult to see even in the footage where we know he was with Dale. To be honest, I can only make out the lighter portions of the trim on his coat, UM got the costume spot on from what I can tell except for possibly this: Anyone that has viewed the footage, does it look to you in the footage where he is with Dale, like the masked man has a hood on his head? Possibly rather than a ski mask? The kiln footage appears consistent with a ski mask, but the Dale footage seems like he has something different on his head.

The time anomaly you mentioned is interesting. I hadn't bought that. I wonder if the time code on the tape could be off? It wouldn't be uncommon, especially back then for a surveillance camera to have an incorrect time stamp. Interesting to note nonetheless.

Im still looking for the dolly sequence, or anything else that UM left out. However, one thing that points to Dale NOT being in the bag on the dolly is the angles shown on UM. Camera 2 shows Dale and masked man walk from top to bottom of the screen. Next, camera 1 shows platinum is taken. Then, camera 2 shows masked man wheeling something out on a dolly from top to bottom of the screen. So unless Dale went back that way off camera, it couldn't be him in the bag.

It seems there is some light source very close to the camera that is so bright is it literally creating an obstruction of view.

Have you been able to ascertain at what point the thief leaves this area? I tried tracking his movements, but it seemed like he must have disappeared when the footage was showing us a different camera angle.

If we can figure out at what point he leaves, I'm guessing the dolly sequence would be closely after.

Also, do we know if this is the first appearance of the thief without Kerstetter? I'd be curious to know exactly how much time elapsed between Kerstetter's exit and the the thief's reappearance. Offhand, I would guess at least an hour and ten minutes, give or take.

I haven't found the sequence where the thief leaves yet, but I am wondering if either the light that obscures the shot is covering his exit, or like you noted, it was between cycles of the footage. Look closely at the UM portion where the man is cutting the pipe. He seems to be down INSIDE the portion of the machinery that he climbs onto in the surveillance footage. My guess is that he doesn't appear too long on the real footage because he is inside working on removing the pipe.

I'm gonna have to call it a night pretty quick as my eyes are starting to hurt looking at this so much, but Ill keep checking in on here. If anyone comes up with more details and/or time indexes, please speak up.

It will take a lot of time, but I think I am going to edit this footage all together so that the camera 1 footage shows seamlessly, camera 2, and so on. Of course it won't add anything, but if I can edit out the camera jumps, it might make any movements caught on camera easier to see. But this will take a LOT of time to edit in this fashion.

I know what you mean about the analysis. And I agree. However, even if the facial expression is not clear in this tape, I don't even see Dale look into the camera. I see his face looking down almost as if in fear of what is come. But I will concede that is just my opinion and I have always felt Dale was innocent.

I think he does look at the camera. However, it's not very clear on this copy of the footage. Perhaps the original was better and it was more obvious. I've gone through it frame by frame and here are some possible instances of Dale looking at the camera during the walking sequence.

00:13:09:06 - 00:13:09:10 - it starts to get distorted after this point due to switching noise. But, Dale is clearly looking up in the direction of the camera. The detail is just too lacking to make out his face.

00:13:09:14 - not clear, but again...

At 00:13:09:22 he's dropped his head and is clearly looking down and to his right.

00:13:09:29 - he possibly looks up again. This is the clearest we see his face. You can tell it's definitely Kerstetter from the face and hairline.

Then there is some distortion at 00:13:10, but he's looking down and doesn't look back up again. The camera changes views a few frames later and this is the last we see of Kerstetter. When we return to camera 2 at 00:13:12:11, no one is in the frame.

One thing that occurred to me is that we should be able to backtrack and see where the interaction between Kerstetter and the thief began. The logical place would be the last time we had an angle from camera 2 (before the start of the walking sequence) which is roughly 00:13:05:21 - 00:13:06:24. I think I can make out Dale's head beginning around 00:13:06:18, but it's so hard to tell due to the lack of detail and the pixallation.

Going back a bit further, I think I can vaguely make out the thief's white collar at 00:13:03:05. It looks like the thief is standing to the right, facing the camera. I can't see Dale though.

Going back to the camera 2 view before that (roughly 0012:59:01 - 00:13:00:00) and I see nothing. It literally looks like no one is in the frame.

It could be that Dale and the thief are there, but impossible to see because of the lack of detail. Or, it could indicate that no one is there, and the interaction between Dale and the thief was just that brief. I suppose we also have to keep in mind that these interactions aren't in real time since the tape is slowed done by an unknown increment.

Ive been posting tonight as I comb through the footage. The kiln footage (camera 2) I would say that UM got spot on. You could almost overlap the two pieces of footage on top of one another and the angle would be nearly identical.

Agreed.


I am not certain that I have found the pacing portion yet. It seems logical it would be near the beginning of the video, but the masked man is wearing such dark clothing, he is difficult to see even in the footage where we know he was with Dale. To be honest, I can only make out the lighter portions of the trim on his coat, UM got the costume spot on from what I can tell except for possibly this: Anyone that has viewed the footage, does it look to you in the footage where he is with Dale, like the masked man has a hood on his head? Possibly rather than a ski mask? The kiln footage appears consistent with a ski mask, but the Dale footage seems like he has something different on his head.

I checked for the pacing at the times you mentioned, but didn't see anything myself.

Yeah, I thought that too about the thief's appearance. During the walking sequence, it looks more like a hoodie from a jacket or sweatshirt or something that is over his head, yet open in the front (kinda reminds me of drawings of "Death" with the hood and sickle). Not sure what to make of it. The footage is just so bad it's impossible to tell if the thief was truly wearing a hoodie or if he was wearing a ski mask and we just don't have that detail. Regardless, the thief is much easier to spot when he goes back for the platinum as captured by camera 1, and it looks like he is wearing a ski mask.

The time anomaly you mentioned is interesting. I hadn't bought that. I wonder if the time code on the tape could be off? It wouldn't be uncommon, especially back then for a surveillance camera to have an incorrect time stamp. Interesting to note nonetheless.

It could very well be that the timestamp is off. I agree. Do we know what time the robbery occurred and Dale's check ins were? The lengthy thread on the case might contain this info and we would then have a better idea as to the accuracy of the timestamp.

Im still looking for the dolly sequence, or anything else that UM left out. However, one thing that points to Dale NOT being in the bag on the dolly is the angles shown on UM. Camera 2 shows Dale and masked man walk from top to bottom of the screen. Next, camera 1 shows platinum is taken. Then, camera 2 shows masked man wheeling something out on a dolly from top to bottom of the screen. So unless Dale went back that way off camera, it couldn't be him in the bag.

Personally, I never did buy that Dale was in the bag. If he was, we would have to assume there was some sort of struggle or he was possibly killed inside the plant, and you would think there would be physical evidence of this (such as blood). However, the police did not recover any. Just a thought.

I haven't found the sequence where the thief leaves yet, but I am wondering if either the light that obscures the shot is covering his exit, or like you noted, it was between cycles of the footage. Look closely at the UM portion where the man is cutting the pipe. He seems to be down INSIDE the portion of the machinery that he climbs onto in the surveillance footage. My guess is that he doesn't appear too long on the real footage because he is inside working on removing the pipe.

I watched the UM segment last night and you're correct. The re-enactment shows the thief climbing on top of something and removing a lid or cover. I assume he jumped down inside this space to access the platinum. In fact, we can sort of see this on the footage. As I scanned through it, I thought I could make out the thief squatting on top of something. That's probably what it was. Logically, one would assume there would have to be footage of his exiting this area, but it could have been obscured by the bright lights or not captured if the surveillance system was fixed on another camera angle during that moment.


It will take a lot of time, but I think I am going to edit this footage all together so that the camera 1 footage shows seamlessly, camera 2, and so on. Of course it won't add anything, but if I can edit out the camera jumps, it might make any movements caught on camera easier to see. But this will take a LOT of time to edit in this fashion.

Unfortunately, that would probably be the only way to discover more things, unless it's just by scanning through the video looking for movement. Good luck if you do decide to do this.

Been playing with this at work today on my phone. Managed to get the masked man to show a bit more clearly here I think

And here is a manipulated version of this one. Wasn’t able to do quite as much here. However, I am beginning to wonder about the possibility of two masked intruders. This guy almost looks like he is wearing a different coat than the previous photo. Some frames look the same, others don’t. I feel like the person seen with Dale might be wearing a hoodie with a coat over it. This coat here does not look as heavy as the the one in the other photo. But I’ll concede that the quality is so bad it is hard to tell.

I am going to make a wild guess that it was requested by the Corning people and not LE that requested the actual [now known poor quality] security tape to not be shown. Imagine a giant conglomerate that has millions of dollars in capital at the plant and they were safeguarding it with 3 cheapo cameras that really didn't show much. It would have made Corning look foolish.

I'm guessing that UM production agreed to the request because Corning was allowing the re-enactment to filmed at their property. I think Corning suspected that it was an inside job and Dale was the made the easy scapegoat for the robbery since he was never seen again. I also think that the company was eager to get the stolen pipes replaced and move on with manufacturing. I agree with others that Corning management came across as inept during the interviews.

I am going to make a wild guess that it was requested by the Corning people and not LE that requested the actual [now known poor quality] security tape to not be shown. Imagine a giant conglomerate that has millions of dollars in capital at the plant and they were safeguarding it with 3 cheapo cameras that really didn't show much. It would have made Corning look foolish.

I'm guessing that UM production agreed to the request because Corning was allowing the re-enactment to filmed at their property. I think Corning suspected that it was an inside job and Dale was the made the easy scapegoat for the robbery since he was never seen again. I also think that the company was eager to get the stolen pipes replaced and move on with manufacturing. I agree with others that Corning management came across as inept during the interviews.

It's been mentioned before on podcasts etc that Corning came off like that because if Dale was say murdered or at least taken against his will I'm pretty sure Corning would have had to pay some compensation to Dale's family. They pushed the He's in on it campaign to try to get out of that.

This footage is nerve racking. This is one of those cases that for whatever reason has always stuck with me over the years. No idea why. With this footage finally available, it is a very strange feeling. I can’t describe it.

Compared to the segment, I am torn as to whether UM recreated a camera feed for the portions where investigators are reviewing the film. I know the portions with Dale and the masked man were recreated, but the feed on the security desk when Dale’s relief shows up in the morning might be the actual camera feed from the time.

One thing to note however is that the factory had been sold after Dale’s disappearance but before UM filmed (correct me if I’m wrong). This might explain a few differences in the factory itself from the real vs recreated footage. I know that Dale’s daughter has been very kind in her posts on this site, but I wondering if any of Dale’s coworkers have visited this site? It would’ve nice to get their input as to certain pieces of this mystery, primarily the layout of the factory.

Ok, I've found something of interest. A bit of footage of the masked man that UM didn't show in their recreation. I am still analyzing it and the footage only gets worse closer to the end. As noted earlier in this thread, the man seems to disappear into a portion of the machinery. Careful watching of the UM reenactment support him climbing into the machine (or at least a cage like portion of the equipment that I'm referring to as machinery as it is difficult to tell exactly what it is) but in the camera 1 feed (the kiln) I believe I have found where the man reappears from within the machinery where he was removing the pipe.

Time index 47:45:18 Just as camera 1 comes back up in the feed, there is movement in the lower right portion of the screen. This is close to the same spot where the man was seen earlier doing something to the equipment. He disappeared after that for some time and then seems to reappear here.

Its very bad quality, but there is definite movement there. This is quite likely the man coming out of the machinery with the platinum. If I can get a good enough frame to show up, I will post a screen shot.

Ok, hopefully others are finding this interesting so I'm not just posting and posting as I go through this, but my last post definitely seems to be the portion where the masked man climbs out of the machine, presumably with the platinum.

Just shortly after that, at time index 48:22:11, the man is standing there with what appears to be a bag or backpack on. The image is poor like the majority of the video, but I'm pretty sure I am seeing a strap of some sort coming from this bag. This is very eerie. Before the camera cycles through, he moves quickly away from the equipment at index 48:23:09

You will all have to excuse the gray water mark bar over a portion of the picture. I had to download a trial version of some software to get this file to play. Consequently the watermark is on some of the video.

I found another portion of the masked man. This time on camera 2. The time index is 50:00:05 This time he is walking from the direction that he and Dale walked out of view from. He walks towards the direction that they came walking from in the earlier footage. The bag I mentioned in the last post appears to be on his back.

Although he appears here at 50:00:21, he does not become clear until 50:11:21. He is visible for a few frames and then the camera cycles through again. He is still visible further away from the camera when it cycles back at 50:03:18 (footage is distorted when it first comes back but he is clearly visible in silhouette a few frames after) look in the bottom corner of the screen shot.

Another probable masked man appearance on camera 2 beginning at time index 50:13:21. I say probable here because the distortion in the video is becoming worse towards the end. But I believe I'm seeing movement in the lower portion of the camera's field of view (lower and slightly to the right). Pretty much looks like a black blob coming briefly into frame. I wouldn't have thought twice about it being a video anomaly except for after the camera cycles again, when it comes back to camera 2, it is very distorted but a vague human shape is visible walking through the screen. You would have to be watching in slow motion or frame by frame rapidly to catch it as the distortion is extremely bad here. I won't even bother with a screen shot on this part. He walks away from the camera and stops in the far portion of the factory. I am beginning to wonder if this could be the "pacing" sequence shown in UM. Although it indicated that happened first in the segment. But who knows?

Starting at 50:20:11, we definitely have the masked man visible through the distortion. He now walks toward the camera and out of view. Very poor quality, however one frame gives us a slightly clearer view. This may be the dolly/pallet jack sequence as the movement seems to match up. While he is definitely there, I am not certain if in one or two frames we might be able to see lighter patches of skin showing from the holes of his ski mask. I will have to play in photoshop later to see if I can bring up more detail in the attached frame.

There is some walking up and down in the frame on camera 2 almost immediately after the sequence noted above. This happens several times and seems fairly deliberate rather than just pacing. He basically walks the path that Dale was seen walking with him earlier, but he walks it back and forth several times. I'd say it is nearly continuous from my previous post save for a couple of camera cycles with nothing. But watch from there carefully and you will eventually see a human shape moving through the distortion. Some frames are sharper than others but it is too dark to get a good screen shot.

Of note though is around 50:44:09, the man walks in the direction of the camera holding a bag in his left hand. Holding it like one would hold a tool box or maybe a gym bag. I don't think a screen shot will show much here as I've had to rock the sequence back and forth to really see the movement. But I'll post one of this. Look in the lower right of the photo. The mans head is touching the tip of the watermark bar on the picture. Hard to see, but trust me, its there.

Again at camera 2 at 51:47:00 definitely a human shape walking toward the camera, slower than the other sequences. The distortion is getting worse so I'm seeing this movement in pixels at this point, but it is definitely a person still. No point in a screen shot here.

Same thing again at 52:46:29. Walking toward camera with a bag (or something like that) in the right hand this time. Very distorted, but clearly a person.

At 54:11:13 camera 3 shows something. At this point it is pretty much a few visible frames in between frames of mostly static and distortion. But this camera which up until this point had shown what appears to be an empty hallway, suddenly has a human shape in it. There are only a few frames of this that are visible but what is there is in all probability a person. It seems to walk toward the camera before the distortion takes over and it is no longer visible. One thing I want to note here is that during the segment on UM, they show the recreated dolly/pallet jack sequence in their footage as being on what we know now to be the "camera 2" feed. But, I noticed watching that segment again that they actually have a "3" imprinted on the picture of the recreation. Well, camera 3 is of this hallway. Not sure of the significance of that if any. It could be an error, it could be something the police wanted withheld, or simply a production shortcut that was taken (with producers saying "the audience won't see the real tape, so what does it matter if the location is different in this one sequence"). Anyway, I'm attaching a screenshot here.


Anyway, thats it for tonight I think

I cannot see anything in any of this, even when slowed down. Unless this footage was sped up to save a smaller file, I don't see how Patrick Foley could have seen anything that would have made him suspect that Dale was in on it. The camera cuts around so often to different views, and only 1 of them captured Dale.

Edit: I've played around with the footage and can finally sort of make out the "interaction" Dale has with the intruder.

Here (https://streamable.com/yuchk) is a link to the total duration of Dale and the intruder seen together, slowed down. The time stamp for the duration is 4 seconds. IMO, it looks like the masked intruder is leading Dale, not like they are walking together.

I cannot see anything in any of this, even when slowed down. Unless this footage was sped up to save a smaller file, I don't see how Patrick Foley could have seen anything that would have made him suspect that Dale was in on it. The camera cuts around so often to different views, and only 1 of them captured Dale.

Edit: I've played around with the footage and can finally sort of make out the "interaction" Dale has with the intruder.

Here (https://streamable.com/yuchk) is a link to the total duration of Dale and the intruder seen together, slowed down. The time stamp for the duration is 4 seconds. IMO, it looks like the masked intruder is leading Dale, not like they are walking together.


I completely understand what you are saying. I’m putting together a full analysis of my combing through the tape. I’ll then remove my earlier multiple posts to consolidate things a bit. But as I understand it, this footage is not only degraded, but it was from a copy to begin with. The original was turned over to the FBI. The original footage would have been much clearer than what we are seeing here. So I’d guess when viewed at the time, even if not slowed down, the people in it would appear much clearer.

Thank you to those taking the time to scan through and analyse the footage. For those of us unable to do so, it is providing a very interesting commentary ��

I completely understand what you are saying. I’m putting together a full analysis of my combing through the tape. I’ll then remove my earlier multiple posts to consolidate things a bit. But as I understand it, this footage is not only degraded, but it was from a copy to begin with. The original was turned over to the FBI. The original footage would have been much clearer than what we are seeing here. So I’d guess when viewed at the time, even if not slowed down, the people in it would appear much clearer.

The surveillance tape, even when shown on UM in the re-enactment scene with Patrick Foley, was a constant switching between 3 camera angles. Each camera recorded footage which lasted about 4-5 seconds. Even with better quality footage available, and a slower version, there is no scene of Kerstetter "meeting" this masked man at the back of the plant, nor is there ever a scene where Kerstetter is seen on camera ever again. The duration of their interaction together is 4 seconds. Why would Foley not be more concerned for Dale's safety and immediately jump to Dale was involved based off of this? And, IMO, this is where the Dale was involved theory crumbles:

-Kerstetter let himself be seen with the intruder for a total of 4 seconds. He never shows back up in any of the recorded footage.
-If Kerstetter was "coolly flaunting his crime" by looking into the camera, why wasn't he seen in the tank area assisting the masked man?
-If the masked man brought along another mask and disguise for Dale to wear, why didn't any of the cameras ever pick up 2 distinguishable looking masked men?
-If Kerstetter was involved, why was the masked man first seen on the tapes alone, almost as if he was looking for him?
-The duration of the crime was over an hour. Again, why wouldn't Dale be there assisting the masked man cut the platinum and/or transporting it out of the tank area if he was involved?
-What exactly was Dale doing the entire time the masked man was cutting the platinum out of the tank area?
-At roughly 10:45:23 on the footage, you can see movement on camera 2, and this might have been the first known footage of the intruder lurking in the back right area of where that camera was filming. Then at 10:45:48 is where Dale and the intruder are seen together in the back right area. That strikes me more of the intruder lying in wait to surprise Dale as opposed to "meeting" with him.

I just thought of something else. According to this article:

http://mckeancountycoldcases.weebly.com/uploads/5/6/2/3/56234407/7165212_orig.jpg

Dale's shift began at around 10:30 p.m. that night. It also says that the intruder appears about 10 minutes after his shift began. This would match the timestamps in the new footage, since the intruder is seen at around 10:45 with Dale. I have seen multiple sources talk about how the guards were supposed to call in every hour to report, but because there was a new employee working that night, Dale's absence went unnoticed. What's odd though is that some of the articles say that Dale did in fact call in at midnight, but others say that he was supposed to check in at midnight but failed to do so. One article written 3 years after his disappearance has the line, "A check of the clock records showed Kerstetter hadn't made his rounds of the plant since midnight."

I guess what I'm getting at is that if the timestamps on the released footage as well as the allegation that Dale phoned in at midnight are accurate, that would be a huge break into determining whether or not Dale was involved with the theft. Because if he did in fact interact with this masked man at 10:45 p.m., and then phone in (or clock in) to check in at midnight, he almost certainly would have to have been involved.

I guess what I'm getting at is that if the timestamps on the released footage as well as the allegation that Dale phoned in at midnight are accurate, that would be a huge break into determining whether or not Dale was involved with the theft. Because if he did in fact interact with this masked man at 10:45 p.m., and then phone in (or clock in) to check in at midnight, he almost certainly would have to have been involved.

It could also point to the perp being a disgruntled employee Dale knew/was friendly with.

I posited a theory here (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=181799&highlight=Dale+Kerstetter&page=47) (post #692) that Corning's actions towards its employees could've spurred one or more disgruntled persons toward engineering the theft.

freakbook also chimed in (post #694), positing that Dale could've been in on it, but was double crossed at some point.

"Given how the intruder showed up right when Dale got to work suggests: 1.) This was an employee/ex-employee who knew the schedule, or 2.) Dale had told his accomplice when to arrive (beginning of his shift). That's why this is hard to say. Either this was like Office Space, and some employees/fired employees tried to get back at the company, but unfortunately one was killed, or Dale had nothing to do with it and was an innocent victim. You can make a case for either one."

That would seem to match up with what the timestamps on the released footage point towards

https://i.imgur.com/FVOgP2j.png

For anyone having trouble seeing anything, here is one of the clearest shots of Dale & the intruder together. Dale is outlined in blue below and the intruder is in green.

https://i.imgur.com/Aews0Tz.jpg

freakbook also chimed in (post #694), positing that Dale could've been in on it, but was double crossed at some point.

The biggest issue I have with that theory is that Dale is seen with the intruder at 10:45, and then the intruder is seen alone at various points until roughly 1 a.m. The intruder is seen removing the platinum at around 12:20-12:30 a.m. Various articles have mentioned that the platinum stolen was easily transportable by one person. The masked man appears to be pushing the dolly with the large bag shortly before 1 a.m. If Dale was in that bag, he was incapacitated shortly after 10:45 p.m., and left the intruder to steal the platinum before then removing Dale's body from the plant.

The biggest issue I have with that theory is that Dale is seen with the intruder at 10:45, and then the intruder is seen alone at various points until roughly 1 a.m. The intruder is seen removing the platinum at around 12:20-12:30 a.m. Various articles have mentioned that the platinum stolen was easily transportable by one person. The masked man appears to be pushing the dolly with the large bag shortly before 1 a.m. If Dale was in that bag, he was incapacitated shortly after 10:45 p.m., and left the intruder to steal the platinum before then removing Dale's body from the plant.

It's still plausible in my mind. If Dale was disgruntled (and others were as well), I'm betting the idea popped up sometime in advance. The perp(s) could've simply decided to double cross Dale and then, with that in mind, dispose of him first thing upon arriving at the plant.

Alternately, if you choose to decide Dale wasn't in on it, then the idea was entirely thought up by the perp, who may or may not have known Dale from work, but who still disposed of him first thing before going on to steal the platinum.

It's still plausible in my mind. If Dale was disgruntled (and others were as well), I'm betting the idea popped up sometime in advance. The perp(s) could've simply decided to double cross Dale and then, with that in mind, dispose of him first thing upon arriving at the plant.

Dale knew about the hourly security check-ins though. Why risk getting caught instead of checking in every hour until the crime was completed?

I just thought of something else. According to this article:

http://mckeancountycoldcases.weebly.com/uploads/5/6/2/3/56234407/7165212_orig.jpg

Dale's shift began at around 10:30 p.m. that night. It also says that the intruder appears about 10 minutes after his shift began. This would match the timestamps in the new footage, since the intruder is seen at around 10:45 with Dale. I have seen multiple sources talk about how the guards were supposed to call in every hour to report, but because there was a new employee working that night, Dale's absence went unnoticed. What's odd though is that some of the articles say that Dale did in fact call in at midnight, but others say that he was supposed to check in at midnight but failed to do so. One article written 3 years after his disappearance has the line, "A check of the clock records showed Kerstetter hadn't made his rounds of the plant since midnight."

I guess what I'm getting at is that if the timestamps on the released footage as well as the allegation that Dale phoned in at midnight are accurate, that would be a huge break into determining whether or not Dale was involved with the theft. Because if he did in fact interact with this masked man at 10:45 p.m., and then phone in (or clock in) to check in at midnight, he almost certainly would have to have been involved.

With so much discrepancy with the local reporting I think it all needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Especially with the small size of some of these publications and it being an era where retractions were not as easy to disseminate.

With how inept they handled everything I wouldn’t be surprised if he never left the plant.

Thank you all for your dedication on the analysis and clarification of the finally released video! I wished that its release would have answered questions rather than create more. I know that you have spent many hours attempting to enhance the quality and defining the timeline. I truly appreciate your efforts and look forward to your posts! Dale's daughter, Penny

Thank you all for your dedication on the analysis and clarification of the finally released video! I wished that its release would have answered questions rather than create more. I know that you have spent many hours attempting to enhance the quality and defining the timeline. I truly appreciate your efforts and look forward to your posts! Dale's daughter, Penny

Just judging by the timestamps in the video, it looks like Dale and the intruder are seen together (for approximately 4 seconds) at 10:45 p.m. The masked man is then seen throughout various shots until roughly 12:40 a.m. Almost 2 hours. Dale is never seen on the footage after 10:45 p.m.

I've lurked here for a thousand years but I registered just to share my appreciation for the people involved in bringing this footage to light and processing it so the rest of us can actually get something out of it. I hope Guardian will still be able to provide isolated video of the relevant moments, I think it would be really interesting to see even if choppy/generated.

Great information on the video, guys. Case was always creepy to me and the real footage while blurry still creeped me out!

Dale knew about the hourly security check-ins though. Why risk getting caught instead of checking in every hour until the crime was completed?

If Dale checked in every hour WHILE the crime was being committed then he would be looked at as inept or in on it. I think Dale set this up with him being alive and returning to the plant in mind, but he was killed instead. He didn't want to let on he was an accomplice, so he didn't check in to make it seem like he was being held up somewhere, this would not only let him profit off the platinum, but let him return to his job without him being seen as a suspect.

This is why I think that it's a huge possibility that Dale was in on it, but was double-crossed at some point. If he was in the bag then it was so he could be hidden from the cameras while being pushed around giving instructions to the masked perp without being seen as being an accomplice on camera. Hiding in plain sight so to speak. It's weird how the perp knew where everything was but still took a long time to get out. He seemed kind of lost wandering around. Wouldn't be surprised if he was being coached and told where things were while he was trying to look for them.

Think about set up this seems, like they purposely were seen on camera together, then we never saw Dale on camera again. This would make sense as it would seem like Dale was in trouble or incapacitated while the masked burglar was getting the platinum. I wouldn't be surprised if Dale was in the bag fully alert the entire time and was killed at another location after the heist.

If Dale checked in every hour WHILE the crime was being committed then he would be looked at as inept or in on it. I think Dale set this up with him being alive and returning to the plant in mind, but he was killed instead. He didn't want to let on he was an accomplice, so he didn't check in to make it seem like he was being held up somewhere, this would not only let him profit off the platinum, but let him return to his job without him being seen as a suspect.

This is why I think that it's a huge possibility that Dale was in on it, but was double-crossed at some point. If he was in the bag then it was so he could be hidden from the cameras while being pushed around giving instructions to the masked perp without being seen as being an accomplice on camera. Hiding in plain sight so to speak. It's weird how the perp knew where everything was but still took a long time to get out. He seemed kind of lost wandering around. Wouldn't be surprised if he was being coached and told where things were while he was trying to look for them.

Think about set up this seems, like they purposely were seen on camera together, then we never saw Dale on camera again. This would make sense as it would seem like Dale was in trouble or incapacitated while the masked burglar was getting the platinum. I wouldn't be surprised if Dale was in the bag fully alert the entire time and was killed at another location after the heist.

This would also fit with Dale not being involved with the heist and just cooperating with the intruder so he didn't kill him.

This would also fit with Dale not being involved with the heist and just cooperating with the intruder so he didn't kill him.

Perhaps, but you have several things to consider. The perp literally came just as Dale got to work, which is quite suspicious. Why is the perp letting Dale roam around freely in which Dale met him at the back of the plant?

The biggest point is if Dale was indeed instructing him from inside the bag, then that likely means that this person wasn't an employee, and if he wasn't an employee and needing coaching then how did he know about the obscure location of the platinum to begin with? cough*Dale*cough

It doesn't make sense for the burglar to show up not knowing how to cut the platinum and where it's located only for Dale to volunteer to stuff himself inside a bag and give him instructions.

Dale was an on the fritz security guard who had been demoted with tons of debt, and he was by himself late at night in a dying plant that had thousands of dollars worth of platinum. Let's be honest, if I was in Dale's shoes that would seem like a good heist, especially if I was able to keep my job after.

I have seen multiple sources talk about how the guards were supposed to call in every hour to report, but because there was a new employee working that night, Dale's absence went unnoticed. What's odd though is that some of the articles say that Dale did in fact call in at midnight, but others say that he was supposed to check in at midnight but failed to do so. One article written 3 years after his disappearance has the line, "A check of the clock records showed Kerstetter hadn't made his rounds of the plant since midnight."

I guess what I'm getting at is that if the timestamps on the released footage as well as the allegation that Dale phoned in at midnight are accurate, that would be a huge break into determining whether or not Dale was involved with the theft. Because if he did in fact interact with this masked man at 10:45 p.m., and then phone in (or clock in) to check in at midnight, he almost certainly would have to have been involved.

If there was a new employee working that night, and Dale didn't check-in, then I wonder if the night of the heist was chosen for that reason?

If Dale knew there was going to be someone new at the security place he had to check-in to, then it's possible that he knew that the person wouldn't be up to protocol and chose that night to steal the platinum as that person would be less savvy to phone in an emergency, as the old security person would.

Just wanted to echo the thanks to Guardian (and others) for all the time and work put into this. It was very much appreciated.

Cheers,
Matt

If there was a new employee working that night, and Dale didn't check-in, then I wonder if the night of the heist was chosen for that reason?

If Dale knew there was going to be someone new at the security place he had to check-in to, then it's possible that he knew that the person wouldn't be up to protocol and chose that night to steal the platinum as that person would be less savvy to phone in an emergency, as the old security person would.
But who took the call? If it was the new guard he wouldn't know if it was Kerstetter's voice or not. Anyone could have called to check in claiming they were Dale. It could have been the intruder for all he knew.

But who took the call? If it was the new guard he wouldn't know if it was Kerstetter's voice or not. Anyone could have called to check in claiming they were Dale. It could have been the intruder for all he knew.

It's not who's voice that matters, it's the fact that if no one at Corning doesn't phone-in then security is supposed to call the police to the premises.

It's not who's voice that matters, it's the fact that if no one at Corning doesn't phone-in then security is supposed to call the police to the premises.

If Dale was involved, he was leaving an awful lot up to chance. The intruder was in the building for approximately 2 hours. How would Dale have known that the person on call that night wouldn't have alerted the authorities that he wasn't checking in?

If Dale was involved, he was leaving an awful lot up to chance. The intruder was in the building for approximately 2 hours. How would Dale have known that the person on call that night wouldn't have alerted the authorities that he wasn't checking in?

Excellent point. I'm not sure honestly, unless Dale knew the company had a history of not calling in when they were supposed to and figured they wouldn't call in on time. I mean the police were only called when Dale's co-worker came in and saw him missing, so maybe Dale knew the company was negligent and took advantage of it.

I find it weird that the intruder took 2 hours. If this was a current/ex-employee I figure it should've took them half the time to accomplish this. You have to be relaxed in order to take this long, so I wonder if Dale assured his accomplice that no one would be there until later so they didn't rush?

Excellent point. I'm not sure honestly, unless Dale knew the company had a history of not calling in when they were supposed to and figured they wouldn't call in on time. I mean the police were only called when Dale's co-worker came in and saw him missing, so maybe Dale knew the company was negligent and took advantage of it.

I find it weird that the intruder took 2 hours. If this was a current/ex-employee I figure it should've took them half the time to accomplish this. You have to be relaxed in order to take this long, so I wonder if Dale assured his accomplice that no one would be there until later so they didn't rush?

What seems weird to me is that since this took approximately 2 hours to pull off, if Dale was involved, why not help the intruder to speed up the process? He's never seen on any of the footage after the intruder is seen walking with him (which is shortly after the arrival of the intruder). I don't think Dale was involved, but I don't think he put up much resistance to the intruder.

What seems weird to me is that since this took approximately 2 hours to pull off, if Dale was involved, why not help the intruder to speed up the process? He's never seen on any of the footage after the intruder is seen walking with him (which is shortly after the arrival of the intruder). I don't think Dale was involved, but I don't think he put up much resistance to the intruder.

Because of the cameras. There were 3 cameras around the plant, and Dale was obviously aware of the cameras by looking directly into one. If Dale was trying to play the role of the victim, then him being seen once on camera and never again is the perfect plan, especially if he was planning on returning to work.

That's why I think Dale was alive inside the bag on the dolly and was giving instructions to the intruder, which is why it took 2 hours, but no signs of foul play was found in the plant. I think Dale was hiding in plain sight giving instructions, but didn't want to be seen on camera anymore after being seen with the intruder the first time.

If Dale was murdered, where would that murder have taken place for there to be no evidence of it being found?

If Dale was murdered, where would that murder have taken place for there to be no evidence of it being found?

Outside of the plant somewhere, IF he was murdered. I don't believe he was murdered inside the plant as there's no signs of foul play, and it would've been a hassle for the intruder to not only have to deal with the pipe, but also moving a dead body around

Here's a link to my latest blog with some new information about the Kerstetter case as well the surveillance photos that Guardian has cleaned up and was nice enough to let me use.

https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum-2-the-mystery-deepens

Here's a link to my latest blog with some new information about the Kerstetter case as well the surveillance photos that Guardian has cleaned up and was nice enough to let me use.

https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum-2-the-mystery-deepens

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think there's still two people in the second photo. It's most likely the backsides of Dale and the intruder. It looks like the camera captured them walking forward and back.

If you look at the second photo, you can faintly see someone else and a pair of legs. Ive added an attachment

Why are the "legs" circumsized?

Why are the "legs" circumsized?

If you look hard enough, you can see two pairs of legs so I circled them separately from the bodies. In any event this new photo seems like Dale was giving the intruder a tour.

Tighthead, I acknowledge freakbook's observation as a plausible scenario, as such, kindly respect the illustration put forth for clarification of his point he making.

Tighthead, I acknowledge freakbook's observation as a plausible scenario, as such, kindly respect the illustration put forth for clarification of his point he making.

I'm sorry, Penny. I hope I'm not coming across as being insensitive.

I however do have a weird question to ask you. Do you recall any of Dale's friends or co-workers having particularity broad shoulders or being muscular around that time? From what I can make out from the masked intruder it seems like he has really broad shoulders/muscular build.

I also want to state that I don't think your father was a bad man of any sort, and seemed like a caring, and loving father. I'm just trying to make sense of what happened, so I apologize.

If you look hard enough, you can see two pairs of legs so I circled them separately from the bodies. In any event this new photo seems like Dale was giving the intruder a tour.

I was just yolking, reminded me of weather maps where the pressure system coming in is a giant phallus.

I do actually see what you are suggesting.

I'm sorry, Penny. I hope I'm not coming across as being insensitive.

I however do have a weird question to ask you. Do you recall any of Dale's friends or co-workers having particularity broad shoulders or being muscular around that time? From what I can make out from the masked intruder it seems like he has really broad shoulders/muscular build.

I also want to state that I don't think your father was a bad man of any sort, and seemed like a caring, and loving father. I'm just trying to make sense of what happened, so I apologize.

No apologies needed, freakbook! At the time, I was asked by the police if I thought the intruder matched the physical description of any of his friends. It was too hard to be sure.

If you look hard enough, you can see two pairs of legs so I circled them separately from the bodies. In any event this new photo seems like Dale was giving the intruder a tour.

Just wanted to chime in on this. I completely see what you are seeing. I thought the same thing myself at first. However, if the second shape is a person, they literally stood still for the entire duration of the tape. There is a piece of machinery that is there that happens to give off the shape of a person, especially when viewed on still images. Each time the tape would skip back to that camera feed, for just an instant I thought there was a person there, so believe me, I see it. But trust me, after many, many hours of combing through this frame by frame, I can say absolutely without a doubt that the shape you are seeing and labeled as “2” is not a person.

I have held off on posting on here for a bit while working on this, for various reasons. But I have received quite a few posts and private messages both through the board and via Facebook. All have been kind words, thank you messages, and words of encouragement. I just wanted to acknowledge those messages here. Thank you everyone, it means a lot. It’s no secret on the board that this case has always haunted me since I first saw it.

Crystaldawn has done an amazing job of researching this case and bringing new info to light. I have no idea how she does it. In the article she wrote, she was very kind in acknowledging the work I’ve done on the footage. I wanted to make certain that one thing was noted in the article and she was good enough to do so: that I am by no means a professional. I just do video work part time and as a hobby. A professional working with the released video or even better, the clear original recording would likely be able to bring out more than I have been able to.

Unfortunately the technology I’m using did not exist back in 1987 for law enforcement to use in analyzing the original tape. If it had, many more details might be known today. The case may have even been solved. Hopefully with crystaldawn’s article the case will get some more exposure and if we are lucky, law enforcement will give it a new look. Penny and her family have been through hell with this case. I can’t even imagine what they have gone through. In spite of that, Penny has been very honest and open about discussing the case, not to mention her being incredibly nice.

Many theories are out there about what actually happened that night. If Dale was in on it, to be honest, the more I hear about Corning, I can’t say I’d blame him. But I’ve always felt he was probably innocent. To me that is the greater injustice here: an innocent man is gone and has been blamed for a crime he did not commit. His family is left waiting and wondering for answers. Hopefully one day they will have them.

Just wanted to chime in on this. I completely see what you are seeing. I thought the same thing myself at first. However, if the second shape is a person, they literally stood still for the entire duration of the tape. There is a piece of machinery that is there that happens to give off the shape of a person, especially when viewed on still images. Each time the tape would skip back to that camera feed, for just an instant I thought there was a person there, so believe me, I see it. But trust me, after many, many hours of combing through this frame by frame, I can say absolutely without a doubt that the shape you are seeing and labeled as “2” is not a person.

I'm sorry but "2" is definitely a person, you can tell by the length of the legs spaced apart that it's in walking motion. It looks like we see the backsides of the intruder still walking behind Dale.

Also, how come the third intruder is never seen again? We never see two intruders together, nor working at the same time on different cameras. I've added the first picture and both pairs of legs are missing from the first photo. Look at both photos side by side. That's definitely not a machine

Here's a link to my latest blog with some new information about the Kerstetter case as well the surveillance photos that Guardian has cleaned up and was nice enough to let me use.

https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum-2-the-mystery-deepens

Good job! Those platinum robberies that you listed was excellent find. I always thought the guy was murdered. It didn’t seem the police tried very hard to solve the case.

[QUOTE=Guardian;5625371]I have held off on posting on here for a bit while working on this, for various reasons. But I have received quite a few posts and private messages both through the board and via Facebook. All have been kind words, thank you messages, and words of encouragement. I just wanted to acknowledge those messages here. Thank you everyone, it means a lot. It’s no secret on the board that this case has always haunted me since I first saw it.


Good job ! Must of been quite tedious. Kind of spooky too. It’s great that you shared your work with everyone!

Here's a link to view the video. https://drive.google.com/file/d/10rQ88E6oFl7JnS8s5RT77SpF38gvF4CT/view?fbclid=IwAR2QrOkYj6paj54vkdVQCAJfkteyvYcWKx-qHGtouT9kojNXUZ2Ax3w28J4

Time Stamps-

10:45:42 - Intruder and Kerstetter. CAM2

10:46:39 - Intruder walking CAM2

11:08:15 - CAM3

11:09:13 - Intruder looking at something CAM3

11:14:17 - CAM2

11:15:23 - CAM2

11:15:33 - CAM2

11:17:28 - CAM2

11:17:51 - Unidentified movement CAM3

11:19:18 - CAM1

11:19:39 - Crawling on top of kiln CAM1

11:19:58 - CAM1

11:37:00 - Lights turning on CAM2

11:54:36 - Emerging from kiln CAM1

11:59:43 - CAM1

12:06:17 - Crawling out of kiln CAM1

12:19:41 - CAM1

12:20:00 - Movement inside kiln CAM1

12:27:11 - Intruder leaves the kiln CAM1

12:31:53 - CAM2

12:32:57 - CAM2

12:33:57 - CAM2

12:34:00 - CAM2

12:39:53 - CAM2

12:43:55 - CAM3

12:51:52 - CAM3

12:52:03 - Intruder with dolly CAM3

Here's a link to my latest blog with some new information about the Kerstetter case as well the surveillance photos that Guardian has cleaned up and was nice enough to let me use.

https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum-2-the-mystery-deepens

Great job with this! With the fact Corning had been hit multiple other times, the fact this could be a professional job by outsiders is certainly compelling. Dale's disappearance + Corning's cold-hearted response definitely fits with that.

I'm sorry but "2" is definitely a person, you can tell by the length of the legs spaced apart that it's in walking motion. It looks like we see the backsides of the intruder still walking behind Dale.

Also, how come the third intruder is never seen again? We never see two intruders together, nor working at the same time on different cameras. I've added the first picture and both pairs of legs are missing from the first photo. Look at both photos side by side. That's definitely not a machine

There is no guarantee that there even is a second masked man, let alone a third. I only mentioned the theory of a second man given the location and timeframe of the appearance of the masked man after being seen with Dale, it seems quite likely as it doesn't make a lot of sense otherwise. But I cannot say it with absolute certainty.

I invite any observations on the footage and I'm not saying I have found everything in it. The tape is in such poor condition, I can guarantee I have not found everything because in some places it is not even viewable. However, I have gone through the entire video frame by frame. Trust me when I say, that is not a person you are seeing there. I can wholeheartedly appreciate what you are saying because it certainly looks like a person and given the distortion of the video, there are even times when it appears that the shape moves slightly. However, this is only a piece of equipment which with the dark factory and distorted tape happens to appear as a humanlike form.

If it is a person, given how long the shape remains stationary in the video, you can likely go to the factory today and ask him as he will still be standing there.

There is no guarantee that there even is a second masked man, let alone a third. I only mentioned the theory of a second man given the location and timeframe of the appearance of the masked man after being seen with Dale, it seems quite likely as it doesn't make a lot of sense otherwise. But I cannot say it with absolute certainty.

I invite any observations on the footage and I'm not saying I have found everything in it. The tape is in such poor condition, I can guarantee I have not found everything because in some places it is not even viewable. However, I have gone through the entire video frame by frame. Trust me when I say, that is not a person you are seeing there. I can wholeheartedly appreciate what you are saying because it certainly looks like a person and given the distortion of the video, there are even times when it appears that the shape moves slightly. However, this is only a piece of equipment which with the dark factory and distorted tape happens to appear as a humanlike form.

If it is a person, given how long the shape remains stationary in the video, you can likely go to the factory today and ask him as he will still be standing there.

When I said third I mean't second. Anyway you are incorrect, as that's a person.

I watched the video omegadoom posted, and while I see the permanent black silhouette you're talking about in the video, the person I circled as "2" is meshing with that silhouette as you can see a portion of the body and legs below it. I didn't see this in any other images, and I even circled the body and legs. "2" is infront of that silhouette you see in the video. Try to find the legs I circled at a different timestamp in the same place

I appreciate your work and effort but that's Dale and the intruder in that picture I circled. It looks like they walked down and back up

I only mentioned the theory of a second man given the location and timeframe of the appearance of the masked man after being seen with Dale, it seems quite likely as it doesn't make a lot of sense otherwise. But I cannot say it with absolute certainty.

I also want to point out that the 48 second difference ISN'T weird and doesn't establish a second masked person. You don't know how far they walked down from the camera, so 48 seconds could've been plenty of enough time to get back to where the masked man is seen on camera.

If it was 2 or 3 seconds, I'd admit that the possibility was likely, but 48 seconds is more than enough time if they didn't walk that far past the camera.

This picture, which hasn't been cropped or scribbled on, shows the "figure" stationary behind Dale and The Masked Intruder. I mean, it really does look like a hooded figure, but so does everything else. Hell, I thought I was staring at Dale in the middle of the screen before I saw someone's highlighted photo pointing him out! It was just some other machine.

Or perhaps...a third intruder?

Law enforcement, and Patrick Foley even, saw the original tape in much better condition and have never mentioned seeing another masked intruder. There was only one shown.

This picture, which hasn't been cropped or scribbled on, shows the "figure" stationary behind Dale and The Masked Intruder. I mean, it really does look like a hooded figure, but so does everything else. Hell, I thought I was staring at Dale in the middle of the screen before I saw someone's highlighted photo pointing him out! It was just some other machine.

Or perhaps...a third intruder?
How do you attach an image in your post?

This picture, which hasn't been cropped or scribbled on, shows the "figure" stationary behind Dale and The Masked Intruder. I mean, it really does look like a hooded figure, but so does everything else. Hell, I thought I was staring at Dale in the middle of the screen before I saw someone's highlighted photo pointing him out! It was just some other machine.

Or perhaps...a third intruder?
At one point in the video the lights are turned on for a couple of seconds. It happens around 31:02. You should compare the still you posted above with one taken while the lights were on. I'd add the image myself but I don't know how.

Here's a link to a pic showing the lights turned on. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CDsVPW9_-WqXeUvLuLQ1RQ8wBcRhXlFm

Law enforcement, and Patrick Foley even, saw the original tape in much better condition and have never mentioned seeing another masked intruder. There was only one shown.

I wouldn't put *any* credence in anything Patrick Foley, or any other Corning employee, said.

I wouldn't put *any* credence in anything Patrick Foley, or any other Corning employee, said.

I only mentioned him because he could have played up the "one of the masked men was Dale" angle had he in fact saw 2 men on the tape.

I only mentioned him because he could have played up the "one of the masked men was Dale" angle had he in fact saw 2 men on the tape.

Yep, I'm sure they would've had a field day with it. Penny also saw the tapes and I'm sure she would've mentioned two masked men if she saw them.

Unless the second masked man was a ghost who decided to appear only in that split second, then I think we can assume that it was only one masked man.

I see dale in the pic, and number 1 is the masked intruder, and number 2 is the one in question that may be another person?

Definitely hard to tell for sure due to how the quality is

At one point in the video the lights are turned on for a couple of seconds. It happens around 31:02. You should compare the still you posted above with one taken while the lights were on. I'd add the image myself but I don't know how.

You are correct, however, the lights do not come on. The tape was partially recorded over a few days later when the lights were on as the time stamp on the original tape shows. But in any case, yes, you can see the piece of equipment in question here. In the dark it gives off a very human like shape in silhouette.

When I said third I mean't second. Anyway you are incorrect, as that's a person.

I watched the video omegadoom posted, and while I see the permanent black silhouette you're talking about in the video, the person I circled as "2" is meshing with that silhouette as you can see a portion of the body and legs below it. I didn't see this in any other images, and I even circled the body and legs. "2" is infront of that silhouette you see in the video. Try to find the legs I circled at a different timestamp in the same place

I appreciate your work and effort but that's Dale and the intruder in that picture I circled. It looks like they walked down and back up

The movement in that area is video distortion. This person in the second set of images walks towards the camera, following Dale and the first masked man. If the man in the second photo is the same man as the first, then he somehow got back to the back of the factory between cycles of the camera (he shows up in the back portion of the factory less than 35 seconds later) and then proceeds to walk the same path as Dale was seen walking with the masked man.

You are welcome to speculate of course, but I have spent many, many hours going over this footage over the last two months. I'm only telling you what I have found. And again I will note that I'm not saying there definitely is a second masked man, just that it is possible given the time and movements known.

I'm not going to argue with you on this point as you are entitled to your opinion, and different theories should be discussed. The video is in such poor shape that it is difficult to tell what is what throughout it, so new ideas should be entertained.

The movement in that area is video distortion. This person in the second set of images walks towards the camera, following Dale and the first masked man. If the man in the second photo is the same man as the first, then he somehow got back to the back of the factory between cycles of the camera (he shows up in the back portion of the factory less than 35 seconds later) and then proceeds to walk the same path as Dale was seen walking with the masked man.

You are welcome to speculate of course, but I have spent many, many hours going over this footage over the last two months. I'm only telling you what I have found. And again I will note that I'm not saying there definitely is a second masked man, just that it is possible given the time and movements known.

I'm not going to argue with you on this point as you are entitled to your opinion, and different theories should be discussed. The video is in such poor shape that it is difficult to tell what is what throughout it, so new ideas should be entertained.

Then why isn't the second masked man ever seen again? He's not waiting in the back with the other masked man, and isn't seen later when the pipe was being stolen. All 3 are never seen together

And like I said previously you don't know how far he walked past the camera, so 35 seconds is enough time to get back down that hallway.

I'm not trying to fight with you but you made a mistake. You thought you saw another intruder because of the time limit which isn't even that severe given how short that walkway is, and tried to run it as a possibility.

All I said was it is possible. I honestly don’t know. The tape is so badly degraded throughout that someone could have walked back during a bout of static. It is also possible that another route was taken off camera somewhere. These 3 cameras do not show the entire factory.

All I’m saying is the possibility is there. I’m not saying it is definitely a second person. I don’t know anymore than you do. So I’m not sure how you can be so certain yourself.

At any rate, I’m not going to continue the argument. I’m only suggesting the possibility. Nothing more.

Wow, I never knew they released the surveillance videos from this!!!

I saw where people were wondering about the specific portions of the tape that were shown on the UM re-enactment, specifically with regards to Dale's interaction with the intruder. I think I've found them, and it was all within about 40 seconds.

Shot of the location of the interaction (note the timestamp):
https://i.ibb.co/WHMvrhM/nothing.png

Approximately 10 seconds later is where, IMO, is the first shot of the intruder, pacing:
https://i.ibb.co/1JhMMbF/intruder3.png

More pacing:
https://i.ibb.co/27NLX9M/intruder.png

10 more seconds later is where he paces and walks out of frame to the right:
https://i.ibb.co/ZL5QWxP/intruder2.png

Approximately 20 seconds later, something moves into the frame from the right where the intruder disappeared. This might be Dale:

https://i.ibb.co/wh6NjGz/daleintruder1.png

Here is where they walk out of frame roughly 10 seconds after the figure which might be Dale appearing:

https://i.ibb.co/87f6L2K/daleintruder2.png

I saw where people were wondering about the specific portions of the tape that were shown on the UM re-enactment, specifically with regards to Dale's interaction with the intruder. I think I've found them, and it was all within about 40 seconds.

Shot of the location of the interaction (note the timestamp):
https://i.ibb.co/WHMvrhM/nothing.png

Approximately 10 seconds later is where, IMO, is the first shot of the intruder, pacing:
https://i.ibb.co/1JhMMbF/intruder3.png

More pacing:
https://i.ibb.co/27NLX9M/intruder.png

10 more seconds later is where he paces and walks out of frame to the right:
https://i.ibb.co/ZL5QWxP/intruder2.png

Approximately 20 seconds later, something moves into the frame from the right where the intruder disappeared. This might be Dale:

https://i.ibb.co/wh6NjGz/daleintruder1.png

Here is where they walk out of frame roughly 10 seconds after the figure which might be Dale appearing:

https://i.ibb.co/87f6L2K/daleintruder2.png

So he's pacing back and forth waiting for Dale. If Dale didnt seem surprised, then he obviously knew the masked man

I watched through the videos a few times. I also saw the pictures a few of you posted of the moment when Dale is supposed to have "looked at the camera". To me, I cant tell if he's actually looking at the camera or not. The footage is so awful. I don't know how anyone could have noticed facial expressions or anything like that based on this surveillance.

For me Kerstetter "staring into the camera" is a bit of a red herring in this case. From looking at the correct surveillance footage rather than the re-enactment it seems impossible to conclude anything from it. He literally raises his head for less than 2 seconds and nobody can see anything of his facial expression let alone tell that he is "boasting". It could have just been a coincidence that he happened to look in the direction of the camera and because it's the last sighting of him everything is hanging on that. If the plot was to have it look like he was being held against his will while secretly being in on it, then why look at a camera and boast in the first place? You'd just ignore the camera. That doesn't make any sense. Furthermore, why is he not seen again moving around the factory with the masked intruder if the ploy is to have it look like he's being held against his will and forced to comply? We should see more sightings of him being led around the factory at gunpoint by the masked intruder then.

I've also read that the factory was very large and the tank with the platinum was in a totally separate part of the vicinity to where Kerstetter would have been stationed and eating his lunch, so then if the whole thing was a plot and Kerstetter was aware this masked man would be arriving, why doesn't Kerstetter just simply ignore him and act oblivious? he doesn't even need to interact with the masked man if it's in a totally different portion of the factory and he is in on the plot, just leave him to get on with cutting the platinum undisturbed which is what happened anyway. It would probably lead to Kerstetter being seen as incompetent and fired but what would he care if he's disillusioned with the company, seen as a marginal employee, and is in on it and taking a cut of the loot for himself?

While the factory bosses came across as cold on the episode i also think too much is being made of their comments about Kerstetter's possible involvement. They do not directly accuse him of being in on it, rather it seems like they are just floating the idea for the purposes of adding intrigue and more mystery to the episode. They also spoke well of Kerstetter. I would need to re-visit it but i don't remember it sounding like they were saying Kerstetter was this evil man who was scheming and plotting to rip them off. Though how they float the possibility of him bragging about it from the brief second he looks towards the camera is a mystery to me. Unless they saw a much clearer better quality tape i don't see how they could have determined what his facial expression was at the time.

Finally i would like to say that it appears the masked intruder has a tall, lean build and wide, almost abnormally wide looking shoulders. I know Kerstetter was not very tall but the masked intruder appears to tower over him and have a physique that is noticeable even on that poor quality tape and when he is wearing what looks like a big overcoat. If the thinking was that it was an ex-employee, current employee or one of Dale's friends/acquaintances i think they could have looked to narrow it down by looking at individuals with this sort of build.

For me Kerstetter "staring into the camera" is a bit of a red herring in this case. From looking at the correct surveillance footage rather than the re-enactment it seems impossible to conclude anything from it. He literally raises his head for less than 2 seconds and nobody can see anything of his facial expression let alone tell that he is "boasting". It could have just been a coincidence that he happened to look in the direction of the camera and because it's the last sighting of him everything is hanging on that. If the plot was to have it look like he was being held against his will while secretly being in on it, then why look at a camera and boast in the first place? You'd just ignore the camera. That doesn't make any sense. Furthermore, why is he not seen again moving around the factory with the masked intruder if the ploy is to have it look like he's being held against his will and forced to comply? We should see more sightings of him being led around the factory at gunpoint by the masked intruder then.

I've also read that the factory was very large and the tank with the platinum was in a totally separate part of the vicinity to where Kerstetter would have been stationed and eating his lunch, so then if the whole thing was a plot and Kerstetter was aware this masked man would be arriving, why doesn't Kerstetter just simply ignore him and act oblivious? he doesn't even need to interact with the masked man if it's in a totally different portion of the factory and he is in on the plot, just leave him to get on with cutting the platinum undisturbed which is what happened anyway. It would probably lead to Kerstetter being seen as incompetent and fired but what would he care if he's disillusioned with the company, seen as a marginal employee, and is in on it and taking a cut of the loot for himself?

While the factory bosses came across as cold on the episode i also think too much is being made of their comments about Kerstetter's possible involvement. They do not directly accuse him of being in on it, rather it seems like they are just floating the idea for the purposes of adding intrigue and more mystery to the episode. They also spoke well of Kerstetter. I would need to re-visit it but i don't remember it sounding like they were saying Kerstetter was this evil man who was scheming and plotting to rip them off. Though how they float the possibility of him bragging about it from the brief second he looks towards the camera is a mystery to me. Unless they saw a much clearer better quality tape i don't see how they could have determined what his facial expression was at the time.

Finally i would like to say that it appears the masked intruder has a tall, lean build and wide, almost abnormally wide looking shoulders. I know Kerstetter was not very tall but the masked intruder appears to tower over him and have a physique that is noticeable even on that poor quality tape and when he is wearing what looks like a big overcoat. If the thinking was that it was an ex-employee, current employee or one of Dale's friends/acquaintances i think they could have looked to narrow it down by looking at individuals with this sort of build.
Welcome! Good post.

I never quite knew what to make of the camera footage because it wasn't the actual footage. All I know is that he looked at the camera and that is what was used against him by the company (in the segment). One thing that always stood out to me was that the first comment made by the person representing the company was that Dale was a marginal employee. Then he complimented Dale with the forklift story, but proceeded to take the Dale was involved opinion for the rest of the interview. It felt a little bit like he only complimented Dale to make it appear that he wasn't completely biased. But, this could have also been the way that UM presented the segment and they could have edited it that way to make the company look more like an adversary to Dale's family. UM often presented 2 polarizing sides in their segments. IDK. But in general I get the sense that the company was trying to absolve themselves of any liability for a potential abduction and murder of Dale due to the lack of safety protocols that were in place. That might be a harsh take, but that's my thought on it.

There is some really good coverage of this story out there. CrystalDawn a poster on here, has great information about this segment and many others.

While the factory bosses came across as cold on the episode i also think too much is being made of their comments about Kerstetter's possible involvement. They do not directly accuse him of being in on it, rather it seems like they are just floating the idea for the purposes of adding intrigue and more mystery to the episode. They also spoke well of Kerstetter.

Patrick Foley, the personnel manager says this direct quote...

"I think, the fact that he did everything in front of the camera was, once again, Dale Kertstetter to say to us, "look, hey, here I am! I'm taking your platinum and there isn't a thing you can do about it."

That sounds pretty accusatory to me. And he came to this conclusion based on 2 whole seconds of Dale looking up at the security camera.

Only one positive thing was said by the coworkers; where Dale drove the fork-lift off the hot stream of glass. Every other thing was negative; he was a marginal employee, he was a slow worker, we had problems with him occasionally and of course, Foley's eye rolling comments.

To me, Corning had an agenda going into this segment; trying to make themselves look better after this whole ordeal. The factory was 112,000 square feet, multiple stories and held all of that valuable platinum. It was asinine to have one security guard on duty for a plant that size. They didn't even know the platinum was gone until after Dale went missing.

I don't know if Dale was in on it or not but regardless if he was, Corning bares some responsibility. It makes you question how they weren't robbed earlier given how lax their security was.