Arthur Paul Beal: I hope Spike will update it!

[Todd Mueller]

Remember Arthur Paul Beal's case? I think he had amnesia but I seem to forget...

Seriously, he was a guy who turned up in San Diego with amnesia, and then later identified after the UM broadcast. I remember on the update they said he was actually wanted for larceny for stealing a truck in Washington.

Now the funny part... Lifetime quit showing it and on the anniversary special (as seen by me recently on one of CD's volumes), his face was blurred out.

So that begs the question: WTF? Was he not guilty? Did he plead guilty?

I've never understood why he was removed and then blurred from UM reruns. If he's guilty, he's guilty and we should be able to hear. If he's not guilty, he has no reason to hide. So why is he being "hidden"?

I really hope Spike updates this case. For some reason, it's always bothered me and I want to hear the truth about what happened to him.

[nohwheregirl]

Wait, so was his face blurred in the segment or just the update part?

[crystaldawn]

Hmm I don't remember his face being blurred. Which part was it? I did notice that on the NBC version they actually show him being handcuffed and Lifetime never shows that part. I don't think the charge was that severe so my guess is considering his circumstances with amnesia and all they worked something out like maybe making him pay back the amount of the groceries if indeed he did steal them.

[justins5256]

His face was blurred in the update where he was being handcuffed. I have no idea why. That particular part of the update never made it to Lifetime.

Another odd face blur was in that episode with Maria Armstrong. Her face was blurred on the update after her arrest.

[crystaldawn]

Originally Posted by justins5256

His face was blurred in the update where he was being handcuffed. I have no idea why. That particular part of the update never made it to Lifetime.

Another odd face blur was in that episode with Maria Armstrong. Her face was blurred on the update after her arrest.

Would that possibly mean that he was never convicted of anything and he requested (or UM decided to) blur his face so as not to imply that he was a criminal. I don't know.

Yes that was ridiculous about them blurring out Maria Armstrong's face. In the NBC version at the end of the segment they show a close up picture of her face. Do they really think we won't recognize her with her new look as a blonde.

That makes me wonder if anyone profiled on UM as a fugitive or the type had to sign a paper giving UM permision to air their likeness. Isn't that how it is on Cops - or correct me if I"m wrong. Anyway that could be a reason why there's an occasional blurred picture of someone in trouble with the law.

[wiseguy182]

Originally Posted by justins5256

Another odd face blur was in that episode with Maria Armstrong. Her face was blurred on the update after her arrest.

yeah, that was baffling. at first, i thought it was because she was schizophrenic and they were going to send her to a mental hospital and not prison, but then the update later mentions she got a prison sentence. But if I had to hazard a guess, I would say it was her mental issues.

[justins5256]

Something that just occurred to me: I'm sure UM's camera crew didn't tape Beal's arrest or Armstrong's trial. Maybe some local news station (probably an NBC affiliate) did and had to blur the faces for broadcast on the news, and UM was supplied with the edited/blurred footage?

[Todd Mueller]

Originally Posted by justins5256

Something that just occurred to me: I'm sure UM's camera crew didn't tape Beal's arrest or Armstrong's trial. Maybe some local news station (probably an NBC affiliate) did and had to blur the faces for broadcast on the news, and UM was supplied with the edited/blurred footage?

Good point... that might be it.

It still doesn't explain why Lifetime pulled everything. But maybe he did make some kind of a deal with them.

APB: "Please put my story all over national TV. Who the heck AM I?"

Authorities: "A wanted fugative from Washington."

APB: "Oops. Cancel previous request."

[crystaldawn]

Well I think there's a chance UM could have had a camera crew there the night the segment first aired in hopes he would be reunited with his family and they could get some footage. We don't know if the local tv stations aired his story or not although when it came to be that he was a wanted fugitive I'm sure it got their attention.

[justins5256]

Originally Posted by crystaldawn

Well I think there's a chance UM could have had a camera crew there the night the segment first aired in hopes he would be reunited with his family and they could get some footage. We don't know if the local tv stations aired his story or not although when it came to be that he was a wanted fugitive I'm sure it got their attention.

I would have to watch the segment again but I'm pretty sure that the UM crew was with Beal when the story aired and when he was connected with his mother via telephone. But, at what point was he arrested? UM cameras may not have been around to catch that.

Perhaps Lifetime edited the story for time, and to give us a more psychologically fulfilling ending. Without all the arrest stuff, it's a (mostly) happy ending.

[crystaldawn]

Originally Posted by justins5256

I would have to watch the segment again but I'm pretty sure that the UM crew was with Beal when the story aired and when he was connected with his mother via telephone. But, at what point was he arrested? UM cameras may not have been around to catch that.

Perhaps Lifetime edited the story for time, and to give us a more psychologically fulfilling ending. Without all the arrest stuff, it's a (mostly) happy ending.

I just assumed that he was arrested that night. I guess no one knows for sure. The emotional footage where he met his mother obviously didn't take place that night as she wouldn't have had time to get there. Maybe it happened after he was arrested and posted bond or whatever. It seemed like he was in someone's living room he was arrested from what I remember. Maybe someone who knew he was wanted was also watching UM that night and contacted UM and got the address where he was staying.

[Mr. Fuji]

Originally Posted by Todd Mueller

Remember Arthur Paul Beal's case? I think he had amnesia but I seem to forget...

Seriously, he was a guy who turned up in San Diego with amnesia, and then later identified after the UM broadcast. I remember on the update they said he was actually wanted for larceny for stealing a truck in Washington.

Now the funny part... Lifetime quit showing it and on the anniversary special (as seen by me recently on one of CD's volumes), his face was blurred out.

So that begs the question: WTF? Was he not guilty? Did he plead guilty?

I've never understood why he was removed and then blurred from UM reruns. If he's guilty, he's guilty and we should be able to hear. If he's not guilty, he has no reason to hide. So why is he being "hidden"?

I really hope Spike updates this case. For some reason, it's always bothered me and I want to hear the truth about what happened to him.

Stealing a truck in Washington? I think your memory failed you a bit there. The Spike update said he was wanted by the Boise Police Department for stealing a shipment of frozen food. Did anyone else catch this? It was funny how they showed the cops showing up at Beal's house and asking him what his date of birth was, to which he responded, "I don't know, I have amnesia." Then one of the bonehead cops asked him, "Well how long have you had amnesia for?" When he said, "Nine months," the cop said, "Well how do you know that if you have amnesia?" What an idiot that cop was. Once you find out you have amnesia, it's not like you continue to forget everything that happens to you each day.

But Spike did actually update the case. Beal served 90 days in jail for the theft of the frozen food. I guess Beal was a salesman for a food supply company, and he drove from Boise to Las Vegas with a shipment of food to sell, but somehow came back with no food and no money. Then he ended up in the desert somewhere with amnesia. One of the detectives even openly questioned whether Beal faked the whole thing.

Pretty fascinating case. Todd, you got your wish. We found out the outcome of the accusations against Beal.

[crystaldawn]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fuji

But Spike did actually update the case. Beal served 90 days in jail for the theft of the frozen food. I guess Beal was a salesman for a food supply company, and he drove from Boise to Las Vegas with a shipment of food to sell, but somehow came back with no food and no money.

Thanks for the update Mr. Fuji! Nice to finally know what came of that. I think he deserved the jail time he got. Whether or not he really had amnesia the truth is he "lost" an entire shipment of groceries he was entrusted with.

[shocked69]

I have a hard time believing so many of you are that into these cases, but I think what shocks me more is that you are so quick to judge. Someone said regardless of his amnesia, he still deserved jail time???!! Really?! Put yourself into his shoes for a moment. Imagine the terror of wandering around a desert, half dead, and not one sense of a clue who you are. Imagine what it would be like to wipe out your entire memory. You now don't know you have a family, children, that you had a dog growing up! Imagine not remembing the birth of your children, your given name, or where you came from. Well that was the case here. He had no idea what had happened to him. Do you really think that if he had the intent to steal flipping frozen meats or whatever was in that truck, he would have been found in the desert, severely dehydrated, and without a memory to be found?! Really????!!!

Did you not see the look of complete want to know who this woman was he was speaking to on the phone or meeting in person? He obviously knew he should know her, his own mother, but he didn't. It was heartbreaking. He had to have all his memories fed back into him, one by one for that last 20 some odd years of his life.

If you had actually known him, and not gone by what you saw on TV, you would know that all charges were dropped when this shady meat company was further investigated. This poor man just wanted to make some money, and unfortunately got caught up in god knows what, and his life almost ended because of it!!! This man had to go on the remainder of his years trying to wrap his head around what he was told, and what seemed to be familiar.

How dare you all throw out judgment the way you do. Mr. Beal was a kind, loving, honest, amazing father, husband, brother, son, etc. I would love to see any one of you live in his shoes for those nine months he had no clue who he was. I'd like to see how any of you would deal with it. I'd like to see what it would do to you and you family to see the horrible assumptions people make when they have nothing better to do but bad mouth someone they don't even know. You should all be ashamed!

Originally Posted by Todd Mueller

Remember Arthur Paul Beal's case? I think he had amnesia but I seem to forget...

Seriously, he was a guy who turned up in San Diego with amnesia, and then later identified after the UM broadcast. I remember on the update they said he was actually wanted for larceny for stealing a truck in Washington.

Now the funny part... Lifetime quit showing it and on the anniversary special (as seen by me recently on one of CD's volumes), his face was blurred out.

So that begs the question: WTF? Was he not guilty? Did he plead guilty?

I've never understood why he was removed and then blurred from UM reruns. If he's guilty, he's guilty and we should be able to hear. If he's not guilty, he has no reason to hide. So why is he being "hidden"?

I really hope Spike updates this case. For some reason, it's always bothered me and I want to hear the truth about what happened to him.

[crystaldawn]

I think its great that someone who knows him is posting on here, but we have nothing to apologize for. This is a message board about the tv show "Unsolved Mysteries". We theorize and speculate and offer our opinions on the facts that UM has given. That is why this board is here. If you have something more to add, some fact that you think UM left out, by all means post them here to enlighten us but don't expect us to apologize for our opinions. It is a free country, after all.