Does anyone remember these 3 stories?

[mah79]

Hi Everyone,
I thought to ask if you guys remembered any of these 3 stories? I have only seen them about TWICE on TV (NBC), and it drives me crazy b/c Lifetime nor Spike ever seems to show them!
1. I remember that this story aired around Christmas 1992. It was aired along with the Bishop Neuman and Anthontette Cayedito episodes. IN fact, whenever I see that X mas 92 rerun, they have substituted this story with the footlocker story. But here goes. A woman was abandoned as a baby around Christmastime in 1933 in NYC. She was discovered by a 14 year old girl on the doorstep to the girl's home. She was looking not only for her birth parents, but for the 14 year old girl. She thought that maybe the girl would have known something about where she came from. I think, if she is still alive, that girl would be around 90 years old toda.

2. A young woman is looking for her foster parents named "Pat" and "Jean." But she doesn't even know if these foster parents existed, or if she just imagined them. I remember that her father was mentally unstable and tried to attack her. In one scene, he was chasing her around the house with a knife, and then in another scene, he is taken away on a stretcher and she is sent to live with Pat and Jean. I remember that she said that Pat was a fireman who liked to cook. And Jean would rock her to sleep and sing lullabies. BUt eventually she was returned to her father. I wonder if Pat and Jean were real. I really would like to think they are. It would be very sad if they were not, and if it turned out that the woman imagined them to escape her horrible childhood.
Still, I wonder if UM doesn't air this episode because Pat and Jean may not be real?

3. A young black man was down on his luck. He moved back in with his ex wife and son, but then the wife left him. He called a telephone helpline and befriended a counselor named Debby. He eventually got back on his feet and became a stand up comic. He wanted to find Debby to tell her thank you. I THINK that this episode aired along with the "Pat" and "Jean" episode. But then again, the last I EVER saw "Debby" or "Pat and Jean" was about 15 years ago.

I greatly appreciate any info! Is it just me, or does it also drive you crazy, when you see an episode only once or twice and then it never airs again?

[justins5256]

Originally Posted by mah79

Hi Everyone,
I thought to ask if you guys remembered any of these 3 stories? I have only seen them about TWICE on TV (NBC), and it drives me crazy b/c Lifetime nor Spike ever seems to show them!
1. I remember that this story aired around Christmas 1992. It was aired along with the Bishop Neuman and Anthontette Cayedito episodes. IN fact, whenever I see that X mas 92 rerun, they have substituted this story with the footlocker story. But here goes. A woman was abandoned as a baby around Christmastime in 1933 in NYC. She was discovered by a 14 year old girl on the doorstep to the girl's home. She was looking not only for her birth parents, but for the 14 year old girl. She thought that maybe the girl would have known something about where she came from. I think, if she is still alive, that girl would be around 90 years old toda.

The woman's name is Alexandra Stantzos.

Her story aired for the first time on NBC on 12/23/92. It was shown on Lifetime at least once (I have the Lifetime airing on tape, as well as the NBC airing). For some reason though, her story was cut and replaced with the story you mentioned (about the bones in the foot locker) for later reruns on Lifetime. I'm not sure if it aired on Spike as I generally don't watch the Spike version.

Originally Posted by mah79

2. A young woman is looking for her foster parents named "Pat" and "Jean." But she doesn't even know if these foster parents existed, or if she just imagined them. I remember that her father was mentally unstable and tried to attack her. In one scene, he was chasing her around the house with a knife, and then in another scene, he is taken away on a stretcher and she is sent to live with Pat and Jean. I remember that she said that Pat was a fireman who liked to cook. And Jean would rock her to sleep and sing lullabies. BUt eventually she was returned to her father. I wonder if Pat and Jean were real. I really would like to think they are. It would be very sad if they were not, and if it turned out that the woman imagined them to escape her horrible childhood.
Still, I wonder if UM doesn't air this episode because Pat and Jean may not be real?

I forget the woman's name (she was using a pseudonym, IIRC) but she did claim to have flashbacks of a time when she was being cared for by foster parents "Mike" (not Jean) and "Pat". Her biological father did have some pretty serious mental problems and did try to attack her, which is why she would have been in foster care. I think her mother would later deny putting her in foster care. Court records from around the time were inadvertently destroyed, so I don't think her story could ever be verified.

I don't think the episode was ever shown on Lifetime. It originally aired on NBC on 5/19/93 as part of a 2 hour special.

Originally Posted by mah79

3. A young black man was down on his luck. He moved back in with his ex wife and son, but then the wife left him. He called a telephone helpline and befriended a counselor named Debby. He eventually got back on his feet and became a stand up comic. He wanted to find Debby to tell her thank you. I THINK that this episode aired along with the "Pat" and "Jean" episode. But then again, the last I EVER saw "Debby" or "Pat and Jean" was about 15 years ago.

The guy's name was James Vernon. He was actually a hardcore heroin addict and called the hotline for help. He talked to a counselor known only as "Libby" who encouraged him to kick his heroin addiction. They had numerous conversations. He went through some tough times and even attempted to kill himself one night while he was on the phone with her, but she was able to talk him down. He eventually got help and kicked the habit.

The story aired on NBC on 10/21/92. I don't think it ever made it to Lifetime.

[mah79]

Thanks so much for the info, Justin!
I think I remember seeing Alexandra Stantzos maybe once or twice on Lifetime,but then never again. And I don't think the other 2 cases aired on Lifetime. I forgot about the 2 hour special that UM ran in May 1993. What were some of the other cases in that 2 hour episode?
Here is another question that I thought to ask: does anyone think that Mike and Pat were real, or does anyone think that the woman imagined them? The case is like a double unsolved mystery: not only is she trying to find Pat and Mike, but she doesn't even know if they existed. Her mother denies that she was in foster care, and the court records that could prove or disprove her claims were destroyed.
I would really LIKE to think that Pat and Mike were real, but in my heart of hearts I just don't think so. THere never was any proof that the existed. I also remember that, at the end of the segment, they showed a picture of the woman when she was a little girl. All Robert Stack said, "This was a picture of [woman] around the time that she was living with Pat and Mike." But no pictures of Pat and Mike, not even a last name or anything. I wonder if she was just so traumatized by what her father did to her, that she imagined these very vivid fantasies of Pat and Mike to comfort her. What do you think?

[justins5256]

I'm pretty sure that Alexandra Stantzos is deceased. There is an Alexandra Stantzos listed in the Social Security Death Index here:

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Sear...y=&frompage=99

She died in 1994, so I can't help but wonder if her family asked Lifetime to pull the segment (assuming that is her).

Here are the stories that aired on 5/19/93 per Crystaldawn's guide:
This expanded season ender includes profiles of robbers dubbed the “Milk Carton Bandit” and the “Grandpa Bandit”; New York woman “Miriam” is searching for the foster parents who cared for her briefly during her childhood; a Navy “ghost blimp” that landed reportedly without a crew in the San Francisco Bay area during World War II; and reports of Tina Resch’s unusual brain-wave activity; Reggie DiPalma is wanted for the molestation of young girls; Final Appeal: Michael Lloyd Self confessed to the murder of two girls but claim it was coerced by a corrupt cop. (2 hours)
Update: Reggie DiPalma was apprehended several years later.

As for Pat and Mike, I really want to believe, but I think they probably don't exist. You would think that there would be some more concrete evidence that they did, but we don't even have a last name to go by here. Also, the woman didn't disclose her real name, and the segment was never re-aired on Lifetime which all seems very questionable.

[mah79]

Thanks again, Justin. I remember Reggie DiPalma (they show that case a lot on Lifetime), and I have seen the Ghost blimp case a few times, and Tina Resch, too, as well as Michael Self. YOu are right, it does soudn questionable that UM would not show "Miriam's" case again, or that Miriam would go on air using a pseudonym. I would think that, if she wanted Pat and MIke to find her, she would want to use her real name.
I didn't know that Alexandra Stantzos is deceased. She died not long after her story was aired, which like you said might explain why it has never been shown again. Looking at the SSDI record, I do think that this is her. I mean, she was born around Christmastime, 1932. (Sorry, I mistakely said 1933 in earlier posts).
What were the Grandpa Bandit and Milk Carton bandit episodes about? I am trying to jog my memory about them...

[justins5256]

UM would sometimes do "rapid-fire" profiles of 3 or 4 wanted crooks, usually tied in to a longer segment on a specific type of crime. I think the "Grandpa Bandit" and the "Milk Carton Bandit" fall under that category, as they were just brief reports.

Grandpa Bandit was an older gentleman who would commandeer a bank by walking in and asking to speak with the manager. Then he would strap a phony bomb to the manager's arm and have them escort him into the vault at which point he would collect the money in a duffel bag before making his escape. At the time the segment aired, his identity was unknown but they did show a number of bank surveillance photos of him. No clue if he was ever identified or caught. He was pretty old then, I can't imagine he would still be alive.

I remember less about "Milk Carton" but I think he was given that name because he walked into a bank with a hard plastic milk carton (the kind a grocer might use for carrying glass milk bottles), placed it on the floor by the teller's counter, and then used it to hoist himself over the top of the counter (to circumvent the bullet proof glass perhaps) at which point he took over and cleaned out the bank. There was speculation that this specific hit may have been an inside job, though I can't recall why (they might not have said). I don't remember there being surveillance photos of him, just a composite. Again, no clue if he was ever found.

I'm not sure if these stories aired on Lifetime. It seems to me that Lifetime took this 2 hour episode and broke it down into two one hour long episodes, but I can't recall which stories they paired up. I know I have seen the "Ghost Blimp", Tina Resch, Michael Lloyd Self and Reggie DiPalma stories on Lifetime at one time or another.

[UMfan77]

Originally Posted by justins5256

The guy's name was James Vernon. He was actually a hardcore heroin addict and called the hotline for help. He talked to a counselor known only as "Libby" who encouraged him to kick his heroin addiction. They had numerous conversations. He went through some tough times and even attempted to kill himself one night while he was on the phone with her, but she was able to talk him down. He eventually got help and kicked the habit.

The story aired on NBC on 10/21/92. I don't think it ever made it to Lifetime.

I've never in my life ever seen that one and would love to. It sounds like an inspirational story. Too bad Lifetime never aired it.

[justins5256]

Originally Posted by UMfan77

I've never in my life ever seen that one and would love to. It sounds like an inspirational story. Too bad Lifetime never aired it.

Saying it was a powerful segment would be an understatement. The depiction of his addiction was very graphic and real. I felt so bad for this man. I was overjoyed that he was able to turn his life around largely due to Libby's guidance and I sincerely hope that he was able to locate her.

I'm a recovering alcoholic myself, so the story has always struck a nerve with me.

[TracyLynnS]

RE: The Grandpa Bandit.

What a nut that guy was. He had the victims secure a "bomb" to their wrists that would detonate if they let it get more 6 inches away from their body. But he didn't activate the bomb or anything (at least in the reenactment) as he was having them put it on, so it was obvious from the beginning that they were fakes.

I mean if they had to be kept within 6 inches of the victims bodies to avoid an explosion, why didn't the things go off while they were being carted around in grandpa's briefcase?

And FYI, I think this case is one of the ones I posted in the UM trivia game questions thread. And now, I just gave away all the answers! lol

[egswanso]

Originally Posted by mah79

Here is another question that I thought to ask: does anyone think that Mike and Pat were real, or does anyone think that the woman imagined them? The case is like a double unsolved mystery: not only is she trying to find Pat and Mike, but she doesn't even know if they existed. Her mother denies that she was in foster care, and the court records that could prove or disprove her claims were destroyed.
I would really LIKE to think that Pat and Mike were real, but in my heart of hearts I just don't think so. THere never was any proof that the existed. I also remember that, at the end of the segment, they showed a picture of the woman when she was a little girl. All Robert Stack said, "This was a picture of [woman] around the time that she was living with Pat and Mike." But no pictures of Pat and Mike, not even a last name or anything. I wonder if she was just so traumatized by what her father did to her, that she imagined these very vivid fantasies of Pat and Mike to comfort her. What do you think?

I saw this segment recently and do think it's just another sad case of false memory syndrome. These "memories" were exposed during the height of the false and implanted memory craze when these quack doctors were having everyone magically discover widespread sexual abuse, satanic cults, etc., etc. I give little to no credence to these "memories", especially considering her story is just both bizarre and illogical and there's no proof what-so-ever of the truth of these allegations.

I honestly have to question if "Miriam"'s father did anything to her. I doubt it, frankly. Conveniently, he's not here to defend himself.

The segment did NOT say the court records were destroyed; it said that nothing could be found, with a caveat that some clerk said that's not unusual. Certainly, older records can and do get lost, but I tend to think the absence of records isn't because they were lost, but because they never existed in the first place.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by justins5256

Saying it was a powerful segment would be an understatement. The depiction of his addiction was very graphic and real. I felt so bad for this man. I was overjoyed that he was able to turn his life around largely due to Libby's guidance and I sincerely hope that he was able to locate her.

I'm a recovering alcoholic myself, so the story has always struck a nerve with me.

James did find Libby, however they were only able to speak on the telephone. She didn't want to reveal her identity because of the confidentiality clause of the hotline she worked for.
http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/w...f_James_Vernon

[Hambone2421]

Just saw the James Vernon segment for the first time. Wow. I'm glad he was able to find Libby and connect with her. Unfortunately, James passed away in 2011.

[Bluejay]

Originally Posted by egswanso

I saw this segment recently and do think it's just another sad case of false memory syndrome. ...

That's not usually the way false memory syndrome works. As you point out yourself, it's usually coerced. This is a woman who has a memory but can't discover the details to verify it.

I have a few such memories, and so do you.

You cite the scandal of therapists convincing women that they were victims of Satanic ritual abuse. There were such cases, but by dismissing this woman's story as only that, you ignore another much more likely possibility.

Parents can and do create false memories in children -- more like false forgetting. "Forget about it, it never happened, you dreamed it." Could be abuse, could be a non-abuse trauma, witnessing something, anything they think the kid will be better off not remembering.

Here, we're dealing with a young woman who herself has this vague memory she can't pin down or verify. I am inclined to believe her. My guess is that this was not official foster care, that's one reason for no records. The mother denies it because she either thinks the daughter is better off forgetting, or because she's in denial herself that her husband could ever do such a thing. Or both. Remember how mental illness was hushed up back then. You would say someone took a long vacation because you didn't want to say they were in a mental institution.

[justins5256]

Originally Posted by Bluejay

Here, we're dealing with a young woman who herself has this vague memory she can't pin down or verify. I am inclined to believe her. My guess is that this was not official foster care, that's one reason for no records. The mother denies it because she either thinks the daughter is better off forgetting, or because she's in denial herself that her husband could ever do such a thing. Or both. Remember how mental illness was hushed up back then. You would say someone took a long vacation because you didn't want to say they were in a mental institution.

It is also worth noting that there was apparently a partial update to this story in which someone called in and verified that the foster family did exist, and they even mailed a photo of them to Unsolved Mysteries. However, IIRC, the family had moved or otherwise lost touch with the tipster and this person no longer knew how to contact them.

In any event, I don't believe this information was known when this thread originally got started as the story was never syndicated on Lifetime during the Robert Stack years, and only materialized with the update on the Farina version.

[Bluejay]

I remember seeing that, and I'm sure the family will turn up sooner or later.