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America may be moving toward becoming a service economy. But just how good is the service customers get these days?
As part of an investigation of growing consumer dissatisfaction in America, 48 Hours goes behind the scenes of some old-fashioned service providers, such as moving, restaurant and telephone companies, and investigates some new, high tech operations.
The Price May Be Right: Priceline has become one of the most recognized names on the Internet, thanks largely to an ad campaign featuring the rather unique singing style of William Shatner. 48 Hours Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports on whether this Web discounter is living up to customer expectations.
Best Buy? Read Fine Print: When you shop at some Best Buy stores, you may hear an aggressive sales pitch for something you may not even want - not a toy or an appliance or a computer, but a Best Buy performance service plan, a kind of an extended warranty.
Sorry Wrong Number: Correspondent Steve Hartman reports on just what type of assistance is served up these days by directory assistance.
They are drawn to California's Silicon Valley, New York's Silicon Alley, and places all over the country where Internet and high-tech work abounds.
These Internet entrepreneurs and employees work long hours for hefty pay. But how long will their good fortune last? In fact, some indications show the market has already slowed some. 48 Hours reports from the frontlines of the Internet frontier.
Avici's Coming Out Party: What's it like to be a hotshot Web entrepreneur? Who are these people striking it rich on the Internet? 48 Hours decided to find out. Last summer, Correspondent Erin Moriarty tracked the co-founder of a Massachusetts company taking the very risky gamble of going public. See how Larry Dennison's Avici Systems fared.
Are the glory days of the Internet over? For one company, they came to an abrupt halt. In Learning From Boo's Scare, Correspondent Anthony Mason reports on one Internet worker's experience at a glitzy high-spending fashion Web site called Boo.com.
Space In The Valley Is Dear: With so many striking it rich, a housing crunch has cropped up in Silicon Valley, where a cool million doesn't buy you much. Harold Dow reports on how high the real estate market has climbed.
Why did Vicki Robinson, a single mother and real estate agent with no enemies, disappear?
That's the question police initially asked in July 1998. When her daughter vanished, too, and two of her friends were tracked using her mother's credit card, police suspected foul play.
As this mystery unfolded, 48 Hours' Peter Van Sant tracked not only what happened in a cold-blooded crime but why. He explored the volatile dynamics of family relationships after a divorce: How could two people so close, grow so far apart - to the point of no return?
The elusive truth may lie somewhere between a mother's struggle to raise a daughter alone, and a daughter's need to be loved.
Missing: Vicki Robinson was gone. So were her van and her daughter Valessa. Follow the clues analyzed by police.
The Confessions: After Valessa Robinson and her two friends were captured, they all confessed - but they didn't tell the same story. Who was telling the truth?
Trial and Verdict: In 1999, Valessa's murder trial began. Was she an innocent bystander or a cold-hearted participant? It was up to the jury. What did it decide?
The Road Not Taken: Valessa hadn't known her mother had planned for her to attend a school for troubled youth. See what one girl says about the difference the school can make.
Lori Berenson was just 26 years old when she was sentenced to life for helping to plan a terrorist attack on Peru's congress. It's a crime she says she did not commit.
"The charges against me are preposterous and they're obviously false," Berenson said. "I am not a terrorist by any means; quite the contrary I do not believe in any act of terrorism."
Peter Van Sant brings an exclusive interview from Peru.
Love Crosses Boarders: Jason and Meriam Johnson insist nothing will ever come between them But there are powerful forces trying to pull them apart.
Their romance has become an international incident. In the name of love, they've broken laws and defied a royal family. Correspondent Harold Dow reports.
Dr. Mary Howell is probably the last person you'd expect to be unraveling a 17-year-old murder case, but it's one that still haunts the 87-year-old still-practicing chiropractor.
On the night of June 4, 1983, her daughter Peggy and husband Doug Ryen, both 41, were savagely hacked to death in the affluent California community of Chino Hills, along with their 10-year-old daughter Jessica and a friend who happened to be spending the night, Christopher Hughes.
Floyd Tidwell, then the sheriff of San Bernadino County, described it as one of the most brutal, senseless crimes.
Howell's grandson, 8 and 1/2-year-old Josh, was also found in the carnage, his throat cut, but somehow he survived. He was rushed to Loma Linda Hospital.
While Howell and a frightened community mourned, the search for the killers was on.
Initially the sheriff was looking for several people because of the number of victims and the injuries, he said.
The killer or killers left no fingerprints; nothing was taken from the Ryen house, except for the family's station wagon.
Then they got a break. While searching what they thought was a vacant house next door to the Ryen house, the sheriff's deputies found evidence that someone had been hiding out there. When they checked phone records, they discovered that two phone calls had been made by a Kevin Cooper, a convicted burglar who had escaped from a minimum-security prison nearby two days earlier.
On December 2, 1999, a vacant warehouse caught fire in Worcester, Mass. As many as 40 firefighters tried to put out the blaze. Some entered the building, trying to rescue a homeless couple believed to be inside. But firefighters searched for them in vain.
First two firemen, then two more became lost in the smoky haze. Heavy black smoke, fueled by the petroleum lining of the cold storage lockers, poured from the lockers and into the stairway; it was impossible to see.
District Chief Mike McNamee made a tough call: He ordered everyone out. But when it was all over, the fire had claimed six of Worcester's bravest.
More than 12 hours passed before the conflageration was finally controlled. Then the nation mourned the fallen heroes at a ceremony attended by firefighters from across the country.
In the weeks following the blaze, the building that had taken such a terrible toll on the city finally surrendered to a demolition crew, and the remnants of the old Cold Storage Warehouse were torn down and cleared away.
Now, almost a year and a half later, the lot is vacant, with just a thin layer of gravel to mark the outline of where the six-story warehouse once stood. A fence now surrounds the site, and there's a kind of make-shift memorial: tributes, reminders, personal expressions of people touched by this tragedy. Worcester will never forget.
Have you noticed? Everyone seems angry these days; people are acting out. Newspapers are filled with stories of road rage, air rage - and even teen rage. Are people angrier these days? Is it the stress of modern living? Or is it just that people are talking more about it?
Certainly anger is being studied more these days; some take measures to seek solutions so those youthful temper tantrums don't become ceaseless adult tirades.
48 Hours explores the many shapes and forms that anger takes, from hostile encounters with strangers, to bitter acrimony with loved ones.
When Rage Hits The Road: In Alabama, Shirley Henson pulled out her gun in a roadside altercation with Gena Foster. A split-second decision she made irrevocably changed both of their lives.
The drug Ecstasy is profiled.
Retired Colonel George Marecek is one of the most decorated Green Berets in the Army's history. And he's still tough as nails. Over 36 years, he has fought in three wars.
"I stand for integrity," Marecek says. "Devotion to duty, love for your nation. And above it all, truth."
But did he murder his wife? Susan Spencer reports on this strange case.
Forgiveness doesn't always come easily, even during a season of good will. In some cases, however, it can provide a chance to shed the burden of anger and move on with life.
48 Hours presents three stories of individuals who have overcome considerable obstacles to make peace with their past.
The Prodigal Father: When Jon Dupre was 14, his father, a prominent attorney, walked out on the family. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports on how Dupre, who now has a family of his own, decided to look for his father after having not seen him for 20 years.
A Soldier's Story: Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports that 30 years after the Vietnam War, Paul Reed was still tormented by the experience of having served. Then Reed found in his wartime knapsack something that was to have a dramatic impact on his life.
My Dad's Killer: At age 15, Tim Streett of Indianapolis witnessed a murder in his family's driveway. Years later, Streett was still grieving and desperately unhappy. Then, one evening while driving, he had an epiphany.
They are women of distinction, from all walks of life, making a difference, doing so on their own terms, each with her own unique perspective. 48 Hours has chosen some "great dames," if you'll pardon the expression (no disrespect intended.)
They're not just talented and accomplished; their achievements are marked by sheer will and resiliency. These women have staying power.
They demonstrate dignity and grace, style but also substance. They live life with a sense of fun as well as purpose.
Dynasty's Queen: Joan Collins is the most popular difficult lady in television history. She knows that fame for her only comes with playing these types of characters. Her latest project: a television movie These Old Broads.
Madame Secretary: Think you know Madeleine Albright? Think again. While in the world of diplomacy she's a nonstop, tough-talking, globe trotting diplomat.She's also appearing in a televison commercial dancing! We get to know the woman who deals with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and then goes home puts on her flannel nightgown, grabs some cottage cheese and watches TV.
The Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds: She's made famous movies and lost fortunes famously. Find out why she still takes to the stage.
Heloise Hears A Hint: Long before there was Martha Stewart, there was Heloise, with her hints for homemakers. When she died, her daughter Ponce took over. Does the royal highness of household hints have a dirty little secret of her own? We'll tell you.
Urban Legend: She's one of the most important women in Washington, D.C. But she's never held a press conference, never been to a state diner and never asked for a campaign contribution. So why is Gloria Wilderbraithwaite so important?
The Silver Belles: At 80 to 95 these great dames are not only still kicking they're still dancing. They began dancing in the '30s as part of the famous Apollo Theatre and Te Cotton Club, and they're still at it. We get to know these high steppers in their old sto
Imagine you're living inside a bathroom for more than two years. And that the confinement is self-imposed.
Sound implausible? That's the reality of a 27-year-old man who shared his experiences with 48 Hours.
48 Hours provides a rare view into obsessive-compulsive disorder with a profile of David. Once he studied philosophy in college; he dropped out two years ago when his fears overtook him.
A Cell of His Own Choosing: David confines himself to one room, his parents' bathroom. Why? He fears he'll contaminate others. His parents feed him flattened food that can slide under the door. His parents wrestle with how to best help him.
Eleventh Hour Chat
Dr. Michael Jenike answered questions about treatment options on a 48 Hours chat after the show at 11 p.m. ET. Read the transcript here.
A Giant Step Forward: Sometimes progress is measured in small increments. In David's case, it's a question of whether he'll open the bathroom door.
A Doctor Makes A House Call: Miles away in the Boston area, Dr. Michael Jenike runs the country's first in-house treatment facility for obsessive-compulsive disorders. If David can't go outside to come to him, Dr. Jenike opts to visit.
Not Clean Enough: Helena is obsessed with her own fear: that others are dirty. That is why she shuns her elderly mother. Can Dr. Jenike's clinic help her?
Trapped In A Basement: Another one of Dr. Jenike's patients struggled with a need to confine himself - until he had a breakthrough. Find out how Ed Zine wrestled with his obsession to stay in the cellar.
What's worse than learning of the death of a loved one?
Believing you know who the killer is, but not being able to prove it.
48 Hours tracks two families who are desperate to find out what really happened when their relatives died.
Kristine's Story: In the weeks before Kristine Kupka's disappearance in 1998, family and friends say Kristine had a new man in her life. Darshanand "Rudy" Persaud was her college instructor. One afternoon, Rudy reportedly picked up Kristine at her home. She was never seen again. Did Rudy have something to do with her disappearance?
What Do You Think?
Do you think Dick Dow and Rudy Persaud are getting away with murder? Add your post to the 48 Hours bulletin boards.
Just An Accident? A family is torn apart by mysterious deaths. Nineteen years ago, Steven Dow and his mother Janet were incinerated in a car fire not far from their house. Some people believe that Janet's husband at the time had something to do with their deaths. Was it an accident or something more?
The Internet has become a haven for some of the oldest scams in the book. Among the criminal offenses in cyberspace, 48 Hours reports, are adoption fraud, pyramid schemes and Internet pen pals.
Preying on Hope:The Mostroms thought the Internet was the answer to their frustrating search to adopt another child. But they found themselves caught in a web of deception and fraud that shattered their dreams.
Prosperity at a Price: It was a deal that sounds too good to be true. An e-mail solicitation for easy money leads to a labyrinth of big promises and pyramid schemes.
Forbidden Love: The Collins' were happy when their 14-year-old son found a friend online he could confide in. Tara Hulin was a 30-year-old mother of two who suffered from the same mental condition as Chad. But when the relationship became more than friendly, authorities stepped in. Was it love or sexual assault?
In the early morning hours of December 31, 1999, 10-year-old Krystal Surles and her friend Kaylene Harris, 13, were brutally attacked by a knife-wielding intruder, who slashed their throats. Kaylene died, but Krystal walked to a neighbor's house for help, and survived. Despite her injuries, she helped police identify the killer.
Two days after the crime, police arrested a 35-year-old drifter named Tommy Lynn Sells. During questioning, Sells told police that he had committed dozens of murders over the past 20 years. An eighth-grade dropout who often made money as a carnie, he said he had committed his first murder in Hollywood, Calif., in a street fight. Sells said that he had killed people all over the country, from California to West Virginia. Harold Dow reports on a man who for 20 years got away with murder in a big way and the child whose courage put an end to the killings.
On Dec. 30, 1999, a drifter named Tommy Lynn Sells broke into a home in Del Rio, Texas, and brutally killed 13-year-old Kaylene Harris. Krystal Surles, 10 years old at the time, had her throat slit but managed to escape and go for help. Krystal helped authorities identify her attacker, eventually leading to Sells' capture. She also became the star witness in Sells' capital murder trial.
While under arrest, Sells shocked authorities when he freely admitted that he had been crisscrossing the country for 20 years, murdering men, women, and children.
His confession may have closed a 13-year-old case in Illinois. In 1987, Elaine Dardeen, seven months pregnant at the time, and her 3-year-old son, Peter, were found bludgeoned to death in their home.
The shock of the attack caused Elaine to give birth. The newborn girl, who authorities believe was alive at the time, was also clubbed to death.
Since this story was first broadcast early in 2001, authorities have linked him to 22 homicides.
Paulette and Kelly Welch were living an idyllic life in Idaho Falls, Idaho. They had adopted two children through the church, were active in the community and by all accounts, Paulette seemed to be the perfect mother.
The Welchs dream turned into a nightmare when, they say, their toddler fell from a chair and died. Did Stockton's death occur the way they claimed? 48 Hours investigates the mysterious death of a baby boy and charges of murder.
Over an 18-month period from 1962 to 1964, the city of Boston was terrorized by a serial killer, the infamous "Boston Strangler." But in 1964, Albert DeSalvo confessed to the brutal killings of 13 women, and authorities and the city at large breathed a collective sigh of relief, believing the killer was finally behind bars.
When he confessed, DeSalvo was a patient in a mental hospital, and his confession could not be used against him. With no evidence linking him to any of the 13 murders, DeSalvo was convicted of unrelated crimes and was sentenced to life in prison.
Now, 36 years later, 48 Hours reports that some investigators, as well as the family of one victim, are not sure that DeSalvo was the killer. They believe DeSalvo lied in his confession, and they want to force the state to open the case.
What makes someone fit to be a parent? 48 Hours, in conjunction with Reader's Digest, investigates a complex, emotional custody case that pits a California couple against a biological father. At stake: a baby boy named Spencer.
In nice neighborhoods all over the country families are hiding lives of violence. According to the U.S. Justice Department, 1.5 million women are targets of domestic abuse - and the problem is not isolated to poor communities.
As 48 Hours reports, some of the worst domestic violence may be found in the best of homes.
Armed And Dangerous: Police officer Tori-Lynn Heaton, a former Miss Rhode Island, was trained to recognize and deal with domestic abuse. But when the abuser was her husband and fellow officer, she didn't know what to do.
Unnecessary Roughness: Is there hope for batterers? Cheered for the punishment he dished out on the football field, former NFL superstar Mark Gastineau is now in a New York prison for the violence he inflicted on the women in his life. He now says faith and counseling have helped him understand his behavior.
Despite leading the industrialized world in obesity, America is obsessed with being thin. Fashion magazines are filled with unrealistic - and for many, unattainable - images of the perfect body, fueling a billion-dollar industry of exercise fads, diet books and nutritional supplements.
The Kindest Cut:Debbie Mackenzie was desperate to lose weight. So she decided to take a radical step: she got gastric bypass surgery. Did it work? Find out.
Beauties' Ugly Secret: Famous for their pinup calendars, the Barbi Twins made a handsome living displaying their bodies. But they were hiding a dangerous diet secret. Now they reveal it.
Weight Of The World: Owen McKibbin, one of the top male models in the country, has been featured on countless covers of men's magazines. To maintain his physique, he follows a grueling regimen of diet and exercise. But increasingly large numbers of men are taking dangerous shortcuts, and are suffering from severe eating disorders.
At Your Own Risk: Margo Ellis lost 107 pounds; she says she owes it all to an herbal diet supplement. But Doug Hanson believes that same supplement is partly responsible for his wife's death. Is ephedra safe?
Long before Mark Burnett ever dreamed of trapping 16 Survivors on a deserted island, he stranded 300 people in some of the most remote and forbidding places on Earth. The contest is called "The Eco-Challenge" and last year the seventh annual competition took place halfway around the world in Borneo, Malaysia.
48 Hours trails three teams of Americans as they take on physical and emotional challenges in a pursuit that few people would dare attempt. Contenders face 12 brutal days and sleepless nights of jungle trekking, whitewater paddling, sailing, swimming and biking over a 320-mile course.
Team Earthlink, from Southern California, believes they can win it all. This foursome includes two seasoned race veterans, plus a millionaire couple from Malibu who agree to pay all race expenses for their chance to compete. It is costing them $70,000; will it cost them their marriage?
48 Hours follows the team led by Charlie Engle, a recovering drug and alcohol addict. During the race, Engle is forced to make a choice between his passion for racing and his battle against addiction.
Inexperience didn't deter Team Goonies, a happy-go-lucky group of 30-somethings from Santa Monica, Calif. Last year, they watched the race on television, but this year, the gung-ho rookies will compete in it. To prepare for the race, this team quit their jobs, maxed out their credit cards and embarked upon a crash course in jungle survival. They say they're in it just to finish, but considering their skill level, they'll be lucky to even survive it.
In all, 76 co-ed teams of four, representing 20 countries, believed they have what it takes to finish the race. The race was eventually won by Team Salomon/Eco-Internet, which won the race in 5 days, 23 hours, and 41 minutes. Despite the travails, all three teams profiled on the broadcast will be back in this year's race, which will take place in New Zealand in October.
Jerry Jones spent a decade behind bars proclaiming his innocence after being convicted of killing his wife. And with the help of his devoted daughters he got a second chance to clear his name.
But as 48 Hours reports, Jones' freedom was short-lived. Two years after his release, he was again facing murder charges.
In 1988, the Jones family seemed to be living the American Dream. Jerry, a successful pharmaceutical salesman, and his wife Lee were raising two teen-age daughters and a young son. But on the night of Dec. 3, Lee Jones met a gruesome fate when she was stabbed to death as she prepared to take a bath in their suburban Seattle home.
Shortly after Lee's death, the stunned and grief-stricken children were hit with another tragedy: their father was being charged with murder.
In April, hundreds of thousands of high school seniors will have to decide which college and university to attend. One of the things they probably won't consider is safety on campus. 48 Hours looks at the hidden dangers of university life.
A Deadly Haze: Last winter, Steven Petz, a freshman at Ferris State University in Michigan, was pressured into drinking 27 shots of liquor as part of his initiation into an unauthorized fraternity. He later died from alcohol poisoning. Six of his fraternity brothers were charged with crimes, including manslaughter. Will they be convicted?
Sound The Alarm: It may be one of the best-kept secrets on college campuses. Almost 2,000 campus fires, like the one that claimed lives at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, occur each year. Seton Hall survivor Ken Simmons, who thought his only college worries would be over grades, describes his experience.
48 Hours reports that there are no national regulations requiring sprinklers on campus.
Missng Bryan: Do universities do enough to watch students? Some parents say no. Find out about the case of one student who disappeared and was later found dead. His parents say the school delayed informing them that he was missing, and are suing the school.
48 Hours reports on the strange world of sleep.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, 7 of 10 adults say they have frequent sleep problems, while half have symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights a week. Researchers say that sleep is being directly linked to quality of life.
48 Hours looks at drowsy drivers - is it crime to drive tired? After her daughter was killed by a sleepy driver, Carole McDonnell is on a crusade to make it a crime to fall asleep while driving.
Not sure why you're gaining weight? You may be "sleep eating," raiding the refrigerator while you are asleep. One man let 48 Hours put cameras in his house. The cameras caught him eating a variety of foods, including brownies and soda. Later, he has no memory of his munching.
Does snoring contribute to ADD? New research suggests that it could. Snoring is also linked to sleep apnea - a disorder that prevents the flow of oxygen from reaching the lungs. Sleep apnea causes sufferers to wake up repeatedly, destroying restful sleep. New research suggests that there may be a link between this problem and attention deficit disorder.
For some people, sleep can be too much of a good thing. Those who suffer from Kleine-Levin Syndrome sometimes sleep for days or weeks at a time. No one knows the cause of this strange disease. Spencer Searin, a 15-year-old from Florida, talks about trying to overcome the problem.
Patti Teel claims she has created a new way to get any child to sleep. She combines lullabies with relaxation techniques, and says her method is almost foolproof. 48 Hours puts the game to the test.
Being a celebrity isn't always easy. For some, the stress can be overwhelming. 48 Hours reports on five famous people who have faced crisis and persevered.
A duchess, a race-car driver, a comedian, a boxer and a model reveal that their success did not grant them immunity from adversity. But all are making their way back from misfortune and mistakes.
After being imprisoned for rape and banned for biting Evander Holyfield's ear, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson says he is turning over a new leaf. He wants his children to look up to him. "I want them to be people of dignity. I want them to have respect. I always show them the right thing to do. I tell them daddy is a monster on television but that is not who he is at home." Tyson, who dropped out of school in the 9th grade, has become an enthusiastic reader.
Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, earned contempt from the royal family and was humiliated by the press for her troubled marriage, financial problems and weight gain. "They wanted me to be a certain way and I wouldn't fit into that," she says now. Exiled from the palace, Ferguson pulled herself up by her bootstraps, fought back and launched a lucrative career in America, as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers and other companies.
Kyle Petty is a key member of a famous auto-racing family. Last May, Petty lost his 19-year-old son, Adam, in a race-car crash. Adam, who was just hitting his stride as a driver, died just a month after Kyle lost his grandfather, Lee, the family patriarch who helped build auto racing into the biggest spectator sport in the world today. Kyle and his family were devastated by the loss of Adam but were able to work through their grief. "I hope I never get over it," Kyle says. "I pray every night that it hurts as bad tomorrow as it hurts today because that way, then I know that I'm as close to him as I always have been."
Taunted as "overweight Kate" when she was 12, Kate Dillon did what many self-conscious young girls do:
48 Hours profiles ordinary people who have faced extraordinary tests of survival.
Among the people you'll meet:
Four people who survived a jumbo jet crash in Taiwan in 2000. They tell how they lived a terrible crash that killed almost half of the passengers when the jet crashed into some construction equipment during a storm.
John Diaz: A producer who has made more than 1,000 music videos, Diaz was on the plane when it crashed. "Right next to my feet the wall and the floor started to split, and then the next thing I know there's fire shooting right up next to my leg and that's when I undid my belt and stood up and screamed 'Move! Everybody move!'"
John Courtney and his wife, Deborah Brosnan, scientists traveling from a coral reef conference in Bali back to the U.S. By chance, the couple changed seats just before takeoff. If they hadn't, they would have died. They tell how they lived through the fireball that swept through the cabin after the jet crashed into some construction equipment. Once they exited the plane, they led a group of survivors to safety. "You wonder if it really comes to a difficult situation, "Will you panic, will you run away, will you stop and help? What will you do when your life is on the line," says Courtney. "We were there so we got tested. We came through. Am I proud of myself? Yeah."
John Wiggins, a salesman whose product is, ironically, airplane interiors. Although he survived, the experience affected him, and he says he doesn't know if he will be able to fly anytime soon.
Also on the show: Tillie Tooter, an 84-year-old Floridian who survived more than three days trapped in her car, which had crashed off a highway into a swamp. "Now everybody knows that in Florida, you've got terrifying alligators, you've got snakes, you've got all kinds of critters," she says. "I was afraid to fall asleep because I felt that if anything crawled in, I could at least kick it away with my feet. I was up the entire time."
And meet four
Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, is simply paradise - a place where the wealthy can sail and sun on private beaches and yachts.
For more than 20 years, Josephine and Russell McMillen, and their daughter Lois, fled the cold winters of Connecticut, for their villa on Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands.
"She was well known down there," recalls Lois' father, Russell McMillen. "Ever since she was a child, she's been going there."
At the end of 1999, Russell McMillen fell seriously ill, and Lois planned a longer than usual holiday stay with her parents.
On the evening of Jan. 14, 2000, Lois, 34, told her parents she was going to a local hangout to listen to music. She never came home.
The next morning, they called the police, who later discovered Lois' body on the other side of the island, just a few miles from where she was last seen. Her car was found less than a mile away, at the ferry dock.
Police believed that after a violent struggle, Lois broke away from her attacker and took off across this sea wall, down onto the rocks, leaving behind a trail of personal possessions: a gold necklace, a can of mace, a hairclip, and one shoe. They found her body in the shallow water, shirt and bra pulled up, her breasts exposed. But the medical examiner couldn't say whether her attacker followed her down there and held her under, or whether, dazed, she simply fell, hit her head and drowned.
Crime of any kind is rare on Tortola, and news of this murder shocked the island, especially because the victim seemed not to have an enemy in the world. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports on the search for Lois McMillen's killers.
In 1988 in Washington state, Stella Nickell was convicted of killing her husband Bruce, and Sue Snow, a bank manager, by putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules. The crime was chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. Seven people died in that case, which was never solved.
That case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. Nickell was the first to be convicted under it. Now, private detective Al Farr and his partner Paul Ciolino are on a mission to prove what they both firmly believe: Nickell is innocent. Farr says that there is no credible evidence against her. 48 Hours reports on the search.
"I am not guilty," says Nickell. "And I won't quit fighting until I prove it."
48 Hours marks the moment in history when Timothy McVeigh received his sentence, focusing on the outlook for the future and on survivors' struggle to rebuild their lives.
Looking For The Next McVeigh: Will there be another domestic terrorist who wreaks the same havoc as Timothy Mcveigh? And if so, where will he come from?
McVeigh's Former Lawyer Recalls His Client: For more than two years, Stephen Jones was Timothy McVeigh's defense lawyer. He speaks out about the Oklahoma City bomber, and says that he doesn't think McVeigh acted alone.
Victims Work To Recover: Although it has been difficult, Oklahoma City bombing victims have rebuilt their lives.
Over the past century, many medical problems have been solved or tamed: polio and influenza, for example. But many more such mysteries continue to vex researchers, as well as those who suffer from them. 48 Hours takes an inside look at a few of these enigmas.
Melissa's Story: After an auto accident, a young Colorado woman named Melissa Holley is paralyzed. She travels to Israel to undergo an experimental procedure that may allow her to walk again. She is the first human subject for the treatment, which tries uses hormones to encourage the spinal nerves to regrow. Will it work?
Threatening to kill the pilot and take the airplane down, a responsible family man goes berserk on an Alaska Airlines flight. Did an encephalitis virus in his brain cause him to lose control?
A dedicated father finds that his son is afflicted with a rare genetic disease. He begins a long, exhausting quest for a cure, raising money and encouraging research. Can he help save his son?
Hope Young, music therapist and founder of the Center for Music Therapy in Austin, Texas, uses music to help treat brain injuries. She and her staff treat patients suffering from Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, traumatic brain injury, Tourette’s syndrome, autism, depression and several other diseases. They usrhythm and melody to relieve symptoms and, in some cases, offer hope for a cure.
Tim and Stephanie Farrell are one of the two sad statistics of this story. They talked to 48 Hours about their decision and its aftermath.
Tim: The night of our fourth wedding anniversary, we came back home and she said there were problems and that she wanted to talk and that's when sorta everything evolved from there.
Stephanie: We went out for a nice dinner and we had nothing to talk about. We were taking care of two kids and we had just drifted so far apart and there I sat thinking I can't live my whole life like this.
Stephanie moved out, leaving Tim everything, including their two small children. She says deciding to leave her kids was the toughest decision she ever made. She is not sure today that she would make the same decision. "I truly believe if we would have the time to have our engagement as long as it was supposed to be, I think that we would have both realized that we didn't have enough in common to be together," she says.
Their marriage was officially dissolved in November 1998.
They agreed to be interviewed together for the story. Although they were clearly uncomfortable together, they were surprisingly candid.
This is a story of passion, greed, violence and death - a story so compelling that it attracted the attention of one of America's most insightful true-crime writers.
Garrett Wilson was well-liked by others and loved by women - a man who seemed devoted to his children. But it turns out, all of that was just one side of what his accusers say was a very dark mirror into his true life.
Who is the real Garrett Wilson? Correspondent Peter Van Sant first reports on this 48 Hours Mystery.
On Thanksgiving eve, 1996, in Seattle, Wash., just after 5:30 p.m., the biggest bank robbery in American history got under way. The robbers fled with more than $1.08 million.
The heist was linked to a charismatic robber, known as "Hollywood," who had eluded police for four years while robbing 18 banks. But this would be his last stickup. Within 24 hours, he was hiding out in a dark camper in a strange backyard, surrounded by SWAT teams.
His style and panache caught the attention of bestselling author Ann Rule, who wrote a book about his life, "The End Of The Dream." 48 Hours Murder They Wrote reports on the fascinating story of a remarkable bank robber.
Scott Scurlock’s family was never quite sure what he did for a living.
"Scotty was someone my sister and I used to laughingly call the master of disinformation," says his sister Suzanne Scurlock. She says he told his family he worked in construction.
But in 1991, Scurlock, then 36, was looking for a new line of work. His drug-dealing days behind him, Scurlock needed money - and lots of it.
Local waitress Pam Oates says he had expensive tastes. "He always ordered real expensive champagne. And he always left you a $100 tip. He was always so generous." She thought he might be a drug dealer.
Perhaps inspired by the recently released film "Robin Hood," which he loved, Scurlock decided to try bank robbery. For help, he approached an old college friend named Mark Biggins. Craig Eidsmoe, Biggins’ friend and the best man at his wedding, says that Biggins was an unlikely bank robber: "I would have imagined him being a kindergarten teacher long before being a bank robber... He was just a real, sweet, kind fellow and he wasn't real adventurous. He wasn't a risk-taker."
James White, the confessed killer of Jack Wilson, was the key prosecution witness in the murder trials of Betty Wilson and Peggy Lowe. Even though Betty was convicted, her sister Peggy was acquitted because her lawyers used White's credibility as part of the defense. Is White a credible witness? Find out what he said in court, to the police and then to 48 Hours.
In 1993, Betty Wilson and Peggy Lowe were accused of hiring a hit man to kill Betty's husband Jack Wilson, a wealthy doctor. The twins faced the same charge and the same evidence. But while Betty was found guilty, Peggy was acquitted. Did one of the twins get away with murder? Or is one twin paying for her lifestyle by spending life in prison?
The gruesome murder of the two eldest Routier boys resulted in a huge amount of evidence. There was blood throughout the family room and kitchen, both of which were in disarray. There has been debate whether evidence acquisition was handled properly by investigators. Police photos show that key evidence was displaced, likely by police at the scene. In addition, the court reporter responsible for taping the proceedings and creating the transcript has admitted that the transcript is flawed and that the audiotapes of the original case are missing. Routier's attorneys say that these issues indicate she is entitled to a new trial.
On June 6, 1996, Darlie and Darin Routier's two sons, Devon, 6, and Damon, 5, were stabbed to death in their house. Darlie was badly cut on the neck and arms. Police arrested Darlie and charged her with capital murder. Darlie Routier is either a loving mom falsely accused of a heinous crime, or a cold-blooded murderer.
There is no mystery about who killed Brenda Shaefer. Everyone in Louisville, Ky. knows that Mel Ignatow did it.
The mystery is why Ignatow is still a free man. It's a question that has consumed writer Bob Hill.
"The guy got away with murder, absolutely got away with murder, and 13 years later, he's still walking around getting away with murder," says Hill. A newspaper columnist for 26 years, Hill was so enraged by the murder that he wrote a book about it: "Double Jeopardy."
As Erin Moriarity reports for 48 Hours, the story started on Sept. 24, 1988, when 36-year-old Brenda Schaefer disappeared. Her car was found abandoned the next day less than half a mile from where she lived with her mom and dad.
Serial killers don't always look like creepy drifters. These monsters can appear to be polite, likable people. Ted Bundy, for example, seemed to be the sort of handsome young man most fathers would encourage their daughters to date. And Jeffery Dahmer once persuaded police to hand over a drugged victim who had escaped from his clutches.
based on Mark Fuhrman's account of the hunt for a serial killer who murdered more than 20 prostitutes in three years, doesn't stop when the murderer is caught. It takes up Mr. Fuhrman's charge that inexperienced police officers and sloppy procedures had compromised the investigation and cost at least three women their lives. ''What's going on here?'' he demands. ''We're the richest, freest country in the world and we can't train our detectives to work a homicide case?''
Imagine a TV crew from CBS News calls you up out of the blue and tells you they want to put your story on television. You're not a Washington power broker, or a head of state. Maybe you're head of a household. You wonder what could be so interesting about your life to deserve the attention?
But that's the point. For the last three years, Correspondent Steve Hartman has been on a mission to prove that some of the most important stories are waiting to be found in some of the least likely places, from California to South Carolina, and almost everywhere in between.
Here's how it works: Hartman pins up a map of the country, and then takes a highly sophisticated piece of newsgathering equipment - a dart - and throws it at the map. Wherever the dart hits, Hartman goes. When he gets there, he opens the local phone book and calls someone at random. Whoever answers, and agrees, that's who Hartman profiles. He has met some amazing Americans this way. Below are some of Hartman's most amazing stories.
A Very Lucky Argument To Lose: Guy Leith of Iowa loves to fish. Were it not for a lost argument in 1966, he wouldn’t have the chance.
The Legend Of Spaghetti: Why did this man keep a mummy in his garage for decades?
Lessons From A Five-Year-Old: What happens when a little boy picks up Hartman’s call? He becomes the subject of the story!
A Family Surprise: Like most of Hartman’s subjects, Suzie Izatt says she’s unworthy of coverage. But her unusual path to motherhood proves her very wrong.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Eric Colton isn't big on talking. So how did Hartman end up with such a great story? Find out.
A New American: Amy Mendoza’s favorite colors are blue, white and red. Amy, who excels in English at school in the U.S., is the daughter of Cezar, who says he is an illegal immigrant. What will happen to her?
An Unlikely Romance: Senior citizen Newt McCallum was an unhappy widower. Then he met Naomi Coddington, a 74-year-old widow. She
They can invade your home, making you sick and forcing you out. They can stalk you on vacation, turning a dream trip into a nightmare. They are the silent killers – medical and environmental problems that strike without warning, causing serious – and even fatal - illnesses.
48 Hours looks at four of these killers through the eyes of some of their victims.
Toxic Mold: Remember Erin Brockovich, the antipollution crusader whose story became an Oscar-winner for Julia Roberts? She has another cause: Her home was invaded by the toxic mold called stachybotrys, which Brockovich says gave her 10-year-old daughter and her husband a variety of ailments.
Fatal Flights: On Jan.. 9, 1999, Karen Perkins flew to Belize – a flight of more than nine hours. The next day, Karen, an avid SCUBA diver, went on her first dive. It lasted only minutes, but when she surfaced, she complained of pain and fatigue. As soon as she was back on the boat, and before the crew could help her take off her gear, she was dead. Did she die of blood clots, related to the long flights she took?
Death Boats: For Ken and Bambi Lynn Dixey and their four boys, summer vacation has always meant houseboating. But on the night of August 2, 2000, the Dixey's youngest boys, Dillon, 11, and Logan, 8, went for a last swim before bed off the back of the boat. Five minutes later, they were both dead from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Danger In The Attic From 1963 to 1990, in the town of Libby, Mon., the W.R. Grace Company mined tons of an ore called vermiculite. It turns out vermiculite contains a contaminant called tremolite, which is a form of asbestos. Now the town must face the consequences.
If anyone in America is prepared for the devastation at the World Trade Center, it’s 49-year-old Tim Gallagher, former firefighter and now a leader of the Texas Urban Search-and-Rescue team.
“I spent almost 20 years on the street as a paramedic, Gallagher tells 48 Hours Correspondent Harold Dow. “Trauma was an everyday part of my life.” He thought he had seen everything until six years ago, when his team was deployed to help with the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing.
But that was before Sept. 11.
