Need Help with a Segment - African-American Priest

[ZanzibarBlue]

Your assistance with identifying this segment is appreciated. I recall an African-American priest from a southern state, who traveled to Florida to visit relatives. For some reason he was traveling with expensive electronic equipment or cameras. He was supposed to return to his parish by a certain date and did not. However, after he went missing someone (I believe his relatives) tried to reach him and someone picked up the phone and began posing as him, but there was a strong suspicion that it was his abductor. For some reason I want to say that his disappearance may have been linked with a another priest's disappearance (this is not the 2 priests case from the West). Any updates?

[Kane]

I hate to ask, but are you sure this case was on UM? It doesn't ring a bell.

[amandab1234]

Originally Posted by ZanzibarBlue

Your assistance with identifying this segment is appreciated. I recall an African-American priest from a southern state, who traveled to Florida to visit relatives. For some reason he was traveling with expensive electronic equipment or cameras. He was supposed to return to his parish by a certain date and did not. However, after he went missing someone (I believe his relatives) tried to reach him and someone picked up the phone and began posing as him, but there was a strong suspicion that it was his abductor. For some reason I want to say that his disappearance may have been linked with a another priest's disappearance (this is not the 2 priests case from the West). Any updates?

~This case does not sound familiar whatsoever. The only one I recall that involved priests was the one’s out west who were both murdered and the suspect kept a few of their possessions.

[Mysteryphile]

Originally Posted by amandab1234

~This case does not sound familiar whatsoever. The only one I recall that involved priests was the one’s out west who were both murdered and the suspect kept a few of their possessions.

I dont' remember this case as being on UM at all. I just tried to google the information you gave and no missing person came up either.

(was hoping I would find person and it would say what show his disappearance had appeared on)

[ZanzibarBlue]

Originally Posted by Kane

I hate to ask, but are you sure this case was on UM? It doesn't ring a bell.

I did some digging around and found the reply below that I posted a couple of years ago to the 2 Priests UM segment, which may shed some light on my query.

Oddly, I am absoluetly convinced that I saw this story featured on UM, and even remember the photo of Fr. Craven. It appears I am wrong (not the first time).

I was reading the book "Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes" and was surprised to learn of another murder that I don't recall mentioned in the UM segment. It involved another Catholic Priest named Leslie Craven from Birmingham, AL. Apparently it occured in the mid-1980's generally around the time of the other murders. Fr. Craven was visiting friends/family in Florida, and was carrying some expensive cameras and video equipment. He told the people in Florida that he would simply ring them when he got back to Birmingham, to let them know he arrived safely. They were surprised when hrs. later they got a call from someone identifying himself as Fr. Craven. They didn't recognize the voice and got concerned when the caller called the listener by the wrong name and stayed on the call much longer than expected (remember Fr. Craven was just going to call and say he arrived safely). After a rambling conversation, the caller hung up. The body of Fr. Craven was discovered later in a trash dump on a burning "pyre" that had been set up by the murderer(s). Fr. Craven's van was discovered in another town, torched, with the expensive equipment still inside. The police suspected that the call actually came from Fr. Craven who intentionally disguised his voice and used the wrong name in an attempt to alert his friend that he was in trouble. There was an eyewitness who saw someone pick up gas cans at a gas station near the place where Fr. Craven was discovered. He was a white b/w 30 - 40.

I'm someone who tends to believe the murders are unrelated, and the fact that the victims were priests are attributable more to the fact that men in that position are more vulnerable (tend to help strangers), as opposed to serial killer w/ a "grudge".

Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...#ixzz215j4ambp

[Kane]

Originally Posted by ZanzibarBlue

I did some digging around and found the reply below that I posted a couple of years ago to the 2 Priests UM segment, which may shed some light on my query.

Oddly, I am absoluetly convinced that I saw this story featured on UM, and even remember the photo of Fr. Craven. It appears I am wrong (not the first time).

I was reading the book "Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes" and was surprised to learn of another murder that I don't recall mentioned in the UM segment. It involved another Catholic Priest named Leslie Craven from Birmingham, AL. Apparently it occured in the mid-1980's generally around the time of the other murders. Fr. Craven was visiting friends/family in Florida, and was carrying some expensive cameras and video equipment. He told the people in Florida that he would simply ring them when he got back to Birmingham, to let them know he arrived safely. They were surprised when hrs. later they got a call from someone identifying himself as Fr. Craven. They didn't recognize the voice and got concerned when the caller called the listener by the wrong name and stayed on the call much longer than expected (remember Fr. Craven was just going to call and say he arrived safely). After a rambling conversation, the caller hung up. The body of Fr. Craven was discovered later in a trash dump on a burning "pyre" that had been set up by the murderer(s). Fr. Craven's van was discovered in another town, torched, with the expensive equipment still inside. The police suspected that the call actually came from Fr. Craven who intentionally disguised his voice and used the wrong name in an attempt to alert his friend that he was in trouble. There was an eyewitness who saw someone pick up gas cans at a gas station near the place where Fr. Craven was discovered. He was a white b/w 30 - 40.

That priest's full name was Francis Leslie Craven. According to what I have read, Father Craven was murdered on January 7, 1989 (less than two months after the November 23, 1988 broadcast of the UM segment on the Catholic priest cases).