6 Mysteries That Were Solved After Being Featured on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’

Jessyca Mullenberg

A 1995 episode focused on Jessyca — a 13-year-old student from Wisconsin — and Steven Oliver, an aide at her school who was infactuated with Jessyca; he was able to lure Jessyca away from her home by telling her that a publisher was interested in a short story she had writter.

After her story was featured on both Unsolved Mysteries and America’s Most Wanted, a hotel manager recognized Oliver and informed authorities, who were able to rescue Jessyca and reunite her with her family.

Jessyca went on to become a counselor to help other girls who have gone through similar experiences. In 2007, in an essay for Cosmo, she wrote, “Whenever I can, I speak at schools and conferences about sexual abuse….I’m devoted to doing everything I can to prevent another little girl or boy from becoming a victim.”

Dave and Christie Carlsen’s Daughter

Dave and Christie Carlsen were 18 and 16, respectively, when they learned they were expecting a child. After her parents found out, Christie was forbidden from seeing Dave and was told she had to give her child up for adoption, and after giving birth to a daughter on June 22, 1974, she never saw her child again.

The former high school sweethearts later reconnected, began dating again, and decided to look for the daughter they gave up — knowing only her date and place of birth, and that she may have been named “Karen.”

After catching the Carlsens on Unsolved Mysteries, a woman named Mary Jacobs saw the story and reached out, believing her daughter-in-law Karen “Katie” Jacobs was the Carlen’s child — which was later confirmed to be true. Katie went on to reunite with her biological parents with her husband and their daughter three weeks after the episodes original broadcast.

The Disappearance of Paul and Paula Scribner

Sue Scribner Thibodeaux appeared on the show in search of her twin siblings, Paul and Paula, who her mother gave up for adoption after being told that they’d be better placed in the care of someone else, as their mounting medical bills proved to be too much for the twins’ mother.

Shortly after the episode aired, a viewer called in to say that she knew the twins, who were now going by Bruce and Barbara. Thanks to the program, the twins were able to be reunited with their biological siblings.

The Friend of Jeff Fisher

When Jeff Fisher was a kid, his father left his family following his parents’ divorce; he fortunately found a strong male role model named John Novotny thanks to a big brother/little brother program. While the two grew incredibly close, they eventually lost touch and John appeared on Unsolved Mysteries to find his long-lost “little brother.”

Shortly after the episode aired, several friends contacted Jeff to let them know his story was on TV and the two were able to reconnect, and remained lifelong friends until John’s tragic death in 2014.

The Dover Family Saviors

The Dover family was driving from Atlanta to Mexico when it began to snow, causing them to crash into another car. While the other passengers died, all of the Dovers survived — and thankfully, an American family came along to help them out of the vehicle and get them to the hospital. Years after the incident, the Dovers desperately tried to connect with the people they believed saved their lives.

Shortly after the episode aired, a viewer recognized the story as her friends, Nancy and John Hannan, had often recounted a tale of saving a family after the accident. Thanks to the show, the two families were reconnected.

Cathy Williams-Loving’s “Savior”

As a 14-year-old, Cathy Williams-Long was repeatedly abused and raped by her stepfather who happened to be a police detective with the Chicago PD. When she went to get help at the police station, she pretended to have amnesia so they wouldn’t send her back to her abusive home, but ultimately decided to tell the police who she really was — prompting her stepfather to to place her in a home for girls.

Months later, when she was scheduled to appear in juvenile court, she decide to tell her story — complete with the abuse, her stepfather’s role, and why he was punishing her — to an unknown Cook County Deputy Sheriff, who took action on her behalf. Thanks to his involvement, she was declared an emancipated minor.

More than 30 years later, she appeared on Unsolved Mysteries in an attempt to track down the man who saved her life.

Thankfully, former Deputy Sheriff Fred Lyle was watching and was able to come forward as the mysteries “savior”; the two were then reconnected.