My cousin was involved in an auto accident several years ago and when he awoke from his short coma, he had lost his memory. He couldn't remember his parents, wife, or children. He has to be reintroduced to people he doesn't see often and has lost all of his memories before the accident. His whole attitude and look on life changed 100% too! He went from a smoking alcoholic who was rather abusive to his family to a man who doesn't drink, smoke, or say many unkind words. He attends church regularly and his life is just different. The Dr's say the chances of his regaining old memories are possible but slim. The family thinks if he remembered some of the bad things he did he might be too overcome with guilt...so they're hoping he doesn't regain too many memories.
John knows about my hose accident where I fell flat on my face as I tripped over the hose two years ago. My parents had to take care of me, and when my mom came to see me in the ER they said I was acting drunk-!! (Mom said, "my daughter, I wish!") I couldn't remember anything I had to write everything down for like a couple months and then some. I also couldn't walk very well, and do to the facial trauma I ate more Raspberry Sorbet than anyone ever should, with all this said, I think most people want to remember in these situations, where as this guy- I think from other stuff I read wanted to escape and he had done strange things like this before and it was a whirlwind romance for them like a month and they were married. Glad your cousin changed for the better, personally I always roll my hose back up now. LOL
@@christiegroves 🚑That sounds awful to have to go through!!!😱😵🥴 I love Raspberry Sorbet!!!🍨 I bet you ate enough for a lifetime then!🍨🍨🍨🍨 How are you feeling now? Do you have any residual effects after your recovery from that impact???🤕🤒 It's good that you can laugh about rolling up your hose now! I hope you continue to heal if you still have issues from your fall.❤🙏❤
That is insanely interesting. I will definitely be pondering this over the next few days. Because I've always felt we are very driven by our biology but this makes me feel we are the sum of our memories and experiences a great lot more... wow. What makes us, US? Thanks for sharing.
Ironically enough, I know of a young man who suffered head injuries in a car crash and he went from being a very nice person, to being the complete opposite.
Lots of folks in the comments seem sure he was faking it... But then it doesn't explain the nurse who found him "disoriented" on a train shortly after he disappeared. Why would he act in a way that would attract attention if he was faking it, so soon after his disappearance?
Me too, unsolved mysteries with Robert stack ,used to scare me, still dose,an nothing else does,I've met killers, serial killers,but unsolved mysteries gave me the shivers.feel so bad for his wife.
I just don't believe the amnesia story. Diving is very technical and you have to be certified and there's tons of stuff to remember. I suspect to dive commercially in Florida if he didn't have his diving certification with him he would have had to get recertified all of which requires demonstrating you remember tons of signs and procedures and rules and mechanics. He's gonna remember all that and not have a clue on anything else? Nah. Nonsense.
The wife is a real warrior, her husband manages to have a job and a life,and actually everything worked out in his favor, no accountability at all. I think this is a "fishy' tale. No mention of doctor stating amnesia. I have a lot of trouble with my head paying bills going bankrupt. I don`t believe husband.
Irene- Hi again, I don't believe him either I have the unsolved mysteries boxed set and always remember this one, as I keep rewatching or listening for company as you do with the tv on in the background. I hears that not only was this a fast romance but he had done similar in the past. He was a player I think.
@@christiegroves Thinks he is too smart, maybe a ponzi schemer . He will have it all come back on him one day. Life is the best punisher to teach us lessons. His wife was like a deer in the headlights...what happened here? Poor true heart, may she yet find a good person that deserves her love. Always enjoy hearing from you. if I don`t watch anything else ,I always watch John.
Yeah, dude just ran off and left all the debt to her. I don't believe his story, but I know whatever life he lived he missed out on the love of a very dedicated person.
Yep, she had to sell up to pay off the debt & likely anything that was left over went on searching for him for the best part of two years. I know the show was full of horrible people doing horrible things way beyond this, but the look of total love & devotion on her face during their reunion & the total lack of any emotion from him wound me up watching it in the mid 1990's-very callous person.
Amnesia story? Hardly. I would also venture to say that this "gentleman" had been down this road before. Unfortunately, his wife had to suffer unnecessarily and my sympathies are with her and not him. Let me be clear it looks to me that he had this whole scheme completely planned out. Too many things either don't add up or were extremely convenient for him to try to make his story credible. Even the doctors who are experts in the field have said that such a scenario is next to impossible. I'm surprised by the fact that there weren't any charges filed. It just looks to me that this guy was a mere con artist and took off. Again I feel terrible for his wife and wish her nothing but the best.
Completely agreed with you. Knowing how hard the wife fought in her search efforts, going against police and everyone else in desperation to find him just breaks my heart. It's so clear from her dedication how much she loved him. Thankfully this situation didn't involve death, but I have never understood why some people will go to such great lengths, even as far as murder plots, just to avoid filing for divorce. That's how this case ended up anyway!
His wife is incredibly dedicated. I don’t think he had amnesia. I think he just wanted to leave. He kept almost the same name, he knew his ex-wife to call. I’m wondering if the hospital he says he woke up in can confirm his injuries? My mother works with brain injured clients and if you’re suffering an injury that wipes your memory, you would also likely suffer horrific other issues that wouldn’t leave you ‘physically fine’ to carry on with life. I think he just wanted out and sadly left an incredible woman desperately searching and distraught.
The brain is tricky...it can react anyway. I know some with the same injuries and one is aggressive and one isn't. Brain is so intricate. It can again cause any and every reaction and be different in each person. Much like other illnesses bit worse
I think I have to agree with AngelFace bcuz of all the information given from where he was! Also I agree bcuz once was found and reunited he wanted nothing to do with his wife!
What an amazing story. It stated that they are still friends??? So some part of her either forgives him or still believes him. What an amazing woman. I hope the rest of her life is filled with joy, ease, and the love of a wonderful man.
Hey buddy. Long time no speak too. Saw you on TV .. great Job on the Elisa Lam Netflix's documentary.. Keep up the amazing work.. Note to everyone....If there was ever a man on RUclips who cares about people, who looks to get people home safe or in some cases..to help find killers or find missing men or women children , This guy is one. True good man .. Thanks for all you do John
There's a very good documentary on a father with a head injury, who became absent from his family, but physically there. It gets fascinating. Real Stories. Thank you both.
Sad ending, I miss the yellow pages. Fake news and fake pages is what we have more of now. At least she had closure instead of years and years of no ending in sight. Great video John and Christy!
At the end of UM, they always give a number to call and they put people in touch. So that was my thought but the calling the ex wife thing completely threw me for a loop.
OMG how sad! I'd be crushed if my husband forgot about everything and then didn't even care to really talk to me or atleast try to understand that we were in love. I don't think I'd drop it. I'd bring all of our pics and go show him and stay by his side reminding him
I thought it was strange that he expected his wife to get up at the crack of dawn, to call him, to make sure he was up by 5:30 am...the hotel could have given him a wake up call...Was this the usual action when he went traveling alone...His wife's call kicks off the whole "he's missing" scenerio...
Yes i thought that too. Back then you could arrange for a wake up call through the front desk. Why did he need his wife to babysit him and wake him up?! Also, small travel alarm clicks were common during that time.
@Red Sloane: to be fair, some smaller or boutique hotels charge extra for a wake up call. Back in the day when I traveled for work, hotels did not always have alarm clocks as standard room equipment. When I traveled for work I took a portable alarm clock with me.
@@cacu3989 Wait, care to elaborate more on this? It sounds interesting. You mean not all people will recognize their own face from before their incident?
What a loyal wife! Just wow! I feel awful that she didn't have the ending she more than likely wanted to have. I thought he called Unsolved Mysteries & got ahold of her that way.
I don’t think that’s a mystery. I’m sure he called the number on the screen and they gave him her contact numbers. He definitely could have been mugged, but why did the people who stole his credit cards never use them?? Maybe they just used the cash and ditched the credit cards because they thought they would be caught if they did. Were they sure the beard trimmings were actually from Craig- or did they just think that they were. If he was mugged and the muggers travelled towards Mexico they could have ditched the credit cards so they wouldn’t be caught with them. Did they process the rental car for evidence?? Were there any other fingerprints on the steering wheel or rearview mirror over than Craig’s?? This might be one of the ways they could prove whether or not he drove it down there. Does he know what states he passed through after being discharged from the hospital?? What state was he hospitalized in? And what arrangements were made for follow up - did he do extensive therapy there before he left and continued on towards Florida? I think scouting through that hospital record will likely give them more answers.
It's just sad that this happened to both of them. People, please get head injuries checked out immediately. Not sure if I totally believe his story though.
I don't know what to think. I'm leaning toward he did this on purpose, because it's hard to argue with experts and the fact that he somehow remembered both his wife and his ex-wife's phone numbers to call them. He said he woke up in a hospital with the name Ron on his wristband, did anyone ever check into that? Like, which hospital and whether they had records of him there? But, it's also weird that when he came back his wife said that his personality was different. And if he did disappear on purpose then why did he come back at all?
Also didn't the local LE have a file on his "mugging?" What about the ambulance...was his insurance contacted to pay for that? Were his doctors at the hospital contacted by LE? Too 🐟-y for sure!
John researched that the UM episode about the guy had aired eight times by the time he finally contacted his wife. It may have been that he felt that at some point someone else would report him--better that he quietly handle it hmself.
Remember watching it in the 1990's on UM & feeling very sad for the wife & thinking it was a load of bs-both the segment theory & his response. If he wanted out then he should have just said & not put the family through that & wasted the time & resources of law enforcement etc. It was clear on the segment where they reunited that this woman was deeply in love with him & he felt nothing for her.
John researched that the UM episode had aired eight times before the guy got in touch with his wife. After three years, and eight UM episodes it might have been time for him reveal himself.
I find it weird that he was offered the chance to press charges against people who mugged him. That would imply that the police know who mugged him. So who are these people? Is this assault a real event that they have a police report on?
Not necessarily. If he planned on filing a complaint, then the police would have to try and find the "muggers," but he would have been able to say he didn't plan on pressing charges regardless of whether the police ever found or identified anyone.
I was watching old videos of the original Unsolved Mysteries. I just happened to watch this episode! I saw it when it first came out though. But how weird. This has been happening a lot lately where I’ll watch something & the next day, someone will do an video on that person/topic.... Anyways, I believe he really made a fool of her. I don’t buy the amnesia story. Just adding: No, the ex wife wasn’t mentioned in the UM episode. It just said they were each married once before their wedding. By the way, how could he remember he was robbed & beaten? The fish were no where to be found. So clearly he got rid of them before the place he was headed. He ended up in OK. Heading past Oklahoma from IL. I just can’t remember where he was headed except to the West Coast.
Yeah I would love to watch those old Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack but I hate not knowing if a given mystery has been solved in the ensuing decades.
That happened to me once before where I saw a UM episode and the featured story was covered by John a day or two later in a Brainscratch episode (I think).
@@rdwwdr3520~ Very true. If there is a case that doesn’t have an update that I find real interesting, I’ll look it up. But sometimes you just don’t have the time!
@@rdwwdr3520 All those old episodes have the new updates on how it turned out. You can watch them now on RUclips I watched this exact story an it had the current updated story
There was a case about a woman named Ashley who had ovarian case and retrograde amnesia back in 2015. Thankfully she was found by her family using the internet. She could have easily died due to her poor health.
I recall a similar case from Tacoma WA. A reporter for the News Tribune was investigating the Sheriff when she disappeared. A few years later another reporter for the same newspaper started investigating her disappearance and it's connection to the Sheriff. Because of the publicity she was found, in Alaska, a married housewife with no memory of her former life. Her parents arranged a meeting and she had no memory of them. She said that her earliest memory was waking up in a mall parking lot. That was more than ten years ago now, and I haven't kept up with it. Sheriff Mark French was later charged and convicted of multiple cases of kiddie porn and sentenced to house arrest.
This sounds extremely suspect to me. It sounds to me and I hate to say it but it sounds like he left his wife knowing the majority of the borrowed money was from her family then left the bank loans for her to deal with and finally in the end divorced her walking away free or any responsibilities from it.
Yep. I imagine the $2500 in cash he took with him was just to help get started in his new location. Also explains why the equipment he was supposed to buy with that money was mysteriously absent.
Fascinating episode. He may have been a weak man who opted out but I was so glad not to hear that "his body was found", etc. As per brain injury/amnesia, there is a famous case where the man suffered some injury and had to be hospitalized for the rest of his life. He could eat, sleep, dress himself and walk but he had no memory longer than a couple minutes. So every day his doctor had to introduce himself to the patient he'd been caring for, for years. He could have a conversation but completely forget it in a few minutes, so rendered incompetent.
How incredibly frustrating and sad. Especially for that poor woman! I hope she is doing well now. Say did she publicly state her theory of him being mugged in Colorado?? Thanks John and Christy. Saw the right spelling this time!🙏💔🤔 Btw youtube asked so I gave them an earful about what you mentioned. A LONG earful. They might block me Idk.😉
Yes, his "amnesia" story does sound fishy to say the least. But here's a list of my questions in my head: #1 Within a year after his "disapparence", his case was presented in Unsolved Mystery? -- I thought that stories told on "Unsolved" Mystery were cases took place in like 10, 20 years prior, when all hope was gone. #2. Then, a year from the story been aired on Unsolved Mystery, he called his wife. Here's the problem i have. -- If he meant to run away, why did he call his wife? It was in 1995, before the internet era, he could easily stay in hiding. Plus, calling back home, him being found alive, would mean that he is still liable for the huge debts. And even called his exwife! Wouldn't that be a deadly giveaway? So, WHY did Craig make that phone call, why "come out from HIS closet", if he meant to run away from his debts? #3. "When Craig was asked if he would press charges against the men who had mugged him, he declined". -- Does this mean that the police had already arrested the suspects, the "men who had mugged Craig"? If yes, wouldnt that collaberate with his "been mugged" story? If no, then why did the police ask Craig that question? Press charges against who? And that word, "the men", if no arrested been made, how did they know that it was "men", not "one man"?
I know your questions are two years old. But I can give you my theory. Craig knew he would eventually be found, that is why he called his wife. He knew after watching the Unsolved Mysteries episode that is wife indeed thinks he has amnesia. Craig manipulated the situation and understood that people really did think he had amnesia. So Craig took advantage of the opportunity to come out and act on is alleged amnesia to get out of his marriage. His real goal was to steal his wife's money, they are many con artist and sociopath people in this world that do things like this.
He called her from the hotel the night before he disappeared. Or did he? Wonder if they verified whether or not he was still in Colorado when he made that call?
Would the Unsolved Mysteries episode have had contact information? If he merely oulled a runner, he's a COWARD. FYI, in most places you should have the option of making your number unlisted. Usually there's a small fee attached to that. I'm reminded of the Kenna Harris case. She suffered from TBI (traumatic brain injury). I will never forget what her mother said and she nailed it: "doctors call it a traumatic brain injury but what it really is is permanent brain damage". She's right. We all have to fight those in the medical field to CHANGE this devastatingly misleading name. Patients are tricked into thinking it will heal. Too bad in beginning of Craig's investigation that the issue at checking hospitals on account of the concussion didn't come up (or maybe it did but we didn't hear about it). Or putting out more urgent alerts to the public about him missing and having an injury. Sad story. Head injuries are very, very strange things, and I really feel for a person and family that have to learn to adapt to the changes in their loved one. I've worked in Alzheimer care all my life. Some kinds of memory loss affect short-term and medium-term, but in some cases people can remember incredible details from decades ago. This might be why he remembered his first wife's phone number?
I remember watching this episode with the update and immediately thought that guy was lying and probably thought "ow S!@$!" when he saw himself on Unsolved Mysteries and came up with the amnesia excuse. I lived in Key West, it's definitely a place where some people go who don't want to be found.
Actually memory loss like that can and does happen. If you have a severe enough head injury you can suffer from retrograde amnesia - and you can’t remember anything from before the head trauma. I tend to think this isn’t the case with this story, but I need more details to know for sure. Was he able to say where he was hospitalized? Do they have an MRI showing the brain bleed or trauma? Sometimes these patients over time will remember bits and pieces over their past including names of significant people from their past and sometimes even their occupation. But they definitely should be able to track down medical records. He would for sure have lingering disabilities that would require therapy to improve. Is there any history of this behaviour in his past?? I wonder what his first ex-wife and parents would have to say about this. Why/when was he on a train?? I thought he was driving down to pick up the fish and/or generators? Was travelling on the bus part of the original plan? We need more answers before we can be sure of what went on here. Very sad for Christine.
Halfway through I saw the thumbnail picture and realised (before you mentioned) I'd seen this story on Unsolved Mysteries. I didn't believe his cock and bull story then,and I don't believe it now. Sadly,from what I remember she seemed to have no grievance towards him and he got away with totally deceiving the Police and his wife. Also,as mentioned,he escaped responsibility towards his share of that massive series of loans that they both took out. Loathsome bastard.
Well, at least nobody died in this episode. The guy had two head traumas, so who knows how much of his "fugue state" was real and how much was fabricated.
There is a video on the Real Stories Facebook page called “Amnesia or Lie” that goes into detail on a VERY similar story y’all should watch. Very interesting, to say the least.
What a tale, poor lady though, Christine seems like a sweet heart. I do believe he is at least bipolar but he definitely ghosted her in the worst way, baited her like a fish! Sorry sweet lady Craig is a swindler
I’d be interested to know, how and why he contacted her and not the police??? Don’t USM usually have the contact details for authorities? If you wanted to disappear, is it easier to keep a name that is close to your real name or have a completely different name? If someone is in a hospital with “amnesia”, do they just toss you out onto the street... even back then? I would love to know if he got a settlement from the divorce..... because his wife sold the farm, and I’m assuming the bus too??? My husband had a catastrophic brain haemorrhage [stroke]. He recovered, but was never the same. There’s black spots in his memory. Sometimes I could describe him as a bit of a robot, doing certain tasks that he is not remembering to do, it just that the body remembers how to do things. Like auto pilot. I don’t believe this guy and I hope his wife has found some happiness.
In 2012 I was punched, knocked out instantly and my head bounced off the ground. I remember the seconds before being hit but nothing for hour or so after. For about 6 months I knew my kids were my kids but I couldn’t remember their names. I couldn’t remember my address and other things. It’s been several years and there’s people I have no recollection of meeting in 2012/2013 I still have migraines and now have trouble with short term memory.
Mostly women (but also some men) when they are in love they want to be so helpful and save the spouse who makes them feel good that they stop noticing any red flags. Non violent men can be deceiving, they treat their wives nicely but manipulate them to get money in this case also from her family, all the while he seems very much excited and happy until no longer cares, takes the money and run. When he said call me tomorrow to wake me up while he didn’t even sleep in his hotel room, I knew he had planned his disappearance before his trip. Family members love their daughters they are often willing to do anything to keep her happy and they too throw their logic out the window.
It makes me sick when the police complain about having to investigate too hard.. they act like investigations and managerial work is hard labor... you never hear of a judge sentencing somebody to 20 years of hard management
I feel so terrible and sad about Christen. I’ve never ever heard anything like this story or I should say Christin! Unbelievable wife and devoted!! She’s an ideal wife for any man bcuz of all the extensive caring that she shows for him. And to go to that extreme to travel so far away just to find him. She loves him for bad and for good!! Not many wives could do what she did. She should be honored “best wife of the year.”
I was knocked down as an 8-year-old and left with an open skull fracture. it has meant that there are many things from my childhood that I have forgotten. on the basis of the assault, as an adult I have had epilepsy, these seizures have erased much of my memory from before and I do not remember very well. So something may be true but do not completely believe in him.
Another great vid. Just so you know, for me, personally I flip it off after you say "case cracked". Im not particularly interested in the discussion- unless its with family member of the missing. Please please take this as constructive criticism and not an insult! I love your channel and im just trying to give you insight into one of your fans' preferences. Good job, John (and crew)
I had t h e same thing happen. Had tbi then was mugged 6 months later . Hit with pipes and bats in the back of head. I could even read for a year. Couldn't drive etc. Im lucky
"His subconscious mind remembered his real first and surname, the amnesia wiped out his middle name"? The circumstances make it hard to believe this one...
I feel like this is still kind of a brain scratch. I'm not sure if I believe his story. The cut whiskers thing is what I'm stuck on. I do remember watching this on Unsolved Mysteries. I just don't know and we may never really know.
He is a cruel human being for doing what he did. Thank the lord they did not have any children together. It is evil and cruel for a spouse to just abandon their partner. Look at how many years she lost searching for a man who never loved her. Searching for a thief and con artist. I truly feel sorry for Christine
There are so many gaps in this story. Mainly, wouldn't hospital records confirm the head injury? I suppose the records are unavailable to the public because of HIPAA. These records are the missing link to knowing if he fabricated the story or not.
This took place in the 1990s. Back then the border authorities may not have required more than an ID card for re-entry: it was fairly common then to travel back and forth to Mexico without a Passport.
My cousin was involved in an auto accident several years ago and when he awoke from his short coma, he had lost his memory. He couldn't remember his parents, wife, or children.
He has to be reintroduced to people he doesn't see often and has lost all of his memories before the accident. His whole attitude and look on life changed 100% too! He went from a smoking alcoholic who was rather abusive to his family to a man who doesn't drink, smoke, or say many unkind words. He attends church regularly and his life is just different.
The Dr's say the chances of his regaining old memories are possible but slim. The family thinks if he remembered some of the bad things he did he might be too overcome with guilt...so they're hoping he doesn't regain too many memories.
John knows about my hose accident where I fell flat on my face as I tripped over the hose two years ago. My parents had to take care of me, and when my mom came to see me in the ER they said I was acting drunk-!! (Mom said, "my daughter, I wish!") I couldn't remember anything I had to write everything down for like a couple months and then some. I also couldn't walk very well, and do to the facial trauma I ate more Raspberry Sorbet than anyone ever should, with all this said, I think most people want to remember in these situations, where as this guy- I think from other stuff I read wanted to escape and he had done strange things like this before and it was a whirlwind romance for them like a month and they were married. Glad your cousin changed for the better, personally I always roll my hose back up now. LOL
@@christiegroves 🚑That sounds awful to have to go through!!!😱😵🥴 I love Raspberry Sorbet!!!🍨 I bet you ate enough for a lifetime then!🍨🍨🍨🍨
How are you feeling now? Do you have any residual effects after your recovery from that impact???🤕🤒
It's good that you can laugh about rolling up your hose now! I hope you continue to heal if you still have issues from your fall.❤🙏❤
That is insanely interesting. I will definitely be pondering this over the next few days. Because I've always felt we are very driven by our biology but this makes me feel we are the sum of our memories and experiences a great lot more... wow. What makes us, US? Thanks for sharing.
Ironically enough, I know of a young man who suffered head injuries in a car crash and he went from being a very nice person, to being the complete opposite.
I remember seeing this on Unsolved Mysteries. I felt bad for the wife. But major props to her tenacity of never giving up
Lots of folks in the comments seem sure he was faking it... But then it doesn't explain the nurse who found him "disoriented" on a train shortly after he disappeared. Why would he act in a way that would attract attention if he was faking it, so soon after his disappearance?
Me too, unsolved mysteries with Robert stack ,used to scare me, still dose,an nothing else does,I've met killers, serial killers,but unsolved mysteries gave me the shivers.feel so bad for his wife.
@@Finians_Mancave I don't think he was taking it but iam not 100% .can't call this one,
I just don't believe the amnesia story. Diving is very technical and you have to be certified and there's tons of stuff to remember. I suspect to dive commercially in Florida if he didn't have his diving certification with him he would have had to get recertified all of which requires demonstrating you remember tons of signs and procedures and rules and mechanics. He's gonna remember all that and not have a clue on anything else? Nah. Nonsense.
The wife is a real warrior, her husband manages to have a job and a life,and actually everything worked out in his favor, no accountability at all. I think this is a "fishy' tale. No mention of doctor stating amnesia. I have a lot of trouble with my head paying bills going bankrupt. I don`t believe husband.
Hehehe yes I agree, it is a bit fishy
@@lindseymorgan6625 yep
Irene- Hi again, I don't believe him either I have the unsolved mysteries boxed set and always remember this one, as I keep rewatching or listening for company as you do with the tv on in the background. I hears that not only was this a fast romance but he had done similar in the past. He was a player I think.
@@christiegroves Thinks he is too smart, maybe a ponzi schemer . He will have it all come back on him one day. Life is the best punisher to teach us lessons. His wife was like a deer in the headlights...what happened here? Poor true heart, may she yet find a good person that deserves her love. Always enjoy hearing from you. if I don`t watch anything else ,I always watch John.
He definitely faked it. There’s no way he didn’t. His poor wife.
I think, he just disappeared on his own accord. Left his wife with so much debt.
Yeah, dude just ran off and left all the debt to her. I don't believe his story, but I know whatever life he lived he missed out on the love of a very dedicated person.
Yep, she had to sell up to pay off the debt & likely anything that was left over went on searching for him for the best part of two years. I know the show was full of horrible people doing horrible things way beyond this, but the look of total love & devotion on her face during their reunion & the total lack of any emotion from him wound me up watching it in the mid 1990's-very callous person.
Good morning John. Thanks for another wonderfully done episode of Case Cracked.
Sounds like he rushed into a marriage and business and had 2nd thoughts. If he did up and leave her, heartbroken and in debt, he's a coward.
not only is he a coward but a cruel human being
Amnesia story? Hardly. I would also venture to say that this "gentleman" had been down this road before. Unfortunately, his wife had to suffer unnecessarily and my sympathies are with her and not him. Let me be clear it looks to me that he had this whole scheme completely planned out. Too many things either don't add up or were extremely convenient for him to try to make his story credible. Even the doctors who are experts in the field have said that such a scenario is next to impossible. I'm surprised by the fact that there weren't any charges filed. It just looks to me that this guy was a mere con artist and took off. Again I feel terrible for his wife and wish her nothing but the best.
Completely agreed with you. Knowing how hard the wife fought in her search efforts, going against police and everyone else in desperation to find him just breaks my heart. It's so clear from her dedication how much she loved him. Thankfully this situation didn't involve death, but I have never understood why some people will go to such great lengths, even as far as murder plots, just to avoid filing for divorce. That's how this case ended up anyway!
He did her dirty
His wife is incredibly dedicated. I don’t think he had amnesia. I think he just wanted to leave. He kept almost the same name, he knew his ex-wife to call. I’m wondering if the hospital he says he woke up in can confirm his injuries?
My mother works with brain injured clients and if you’re suffering an injury that wipes your memory, you would also likely suffer horrific other issues that wouldn’t leave you ‘physically fine’ to carry on with life.
I think he just wanted out and sadly left an incredible woman desperately searching and distraught.
The brain is tricky...it can react anyway. I know some with the same injuries and one is aggressive and one isn't. Brain is so intricate. It can again cause any and every reaction and be different in each person. Much like other illnesses bit worse
I think I have to agree with AngelFace bcuz of all the information given from where he was! Also I agree bcuz once was found and reunited he wanted nothing to do with his wife!
What an amazing story. It stated that they are still friends??? So some part of her either forgives him or still believes him. What an amazing woman. I hope the rest of her life is filled with joy, ease, and the love of a wonderful man.
Oh my God! I was and am still living in Key West when he was found! Everyone always check key west first! No one is who they say they are....
Hey buddy. Long time no speak too. Saw you on TV .. great Job on the Elisa Lam Netflix's documentary.. Keep up the amazing work.. Note to everyone....If there was ever a man on RUclips who cares about people, who looks to get people home safe or in some cases..to help find killers or find missing men or women children , This guy is one. True good man .. Thanks for all you do John
There's a very good documentary on a father with a head injury, who became absent from his family, but physically there. It gets fascinating.
Real Stories.
Thank you both.
@@parttimehallmonitor Sorry I didn't read all the comments first. Thank you for doing it so completely.
Do you know what the documentary was called?
@@wordsleuth992 Real Stories. ' Did my father have amnesia or was he a liar'.
Sad ending, I miss the yellow pages. Fake news and fake pages is what we have more of now. At least she had closure instead of years and years of no ending in sight. Great video John and Christy!
At the end of UM, they always give a number to call and they put people in touch. So that was my thought but the calling the ex wife thing completely threw me for a loop.
OMG how sad! I'd be crushed if my husband forgot about everything and then didn't even care to really talk to me or atleast try to understand that we were in love. I don't think I'd drop it. I'd bring all of our pics and go show him and stay by his side reminding him
He probably left her on purpose.
Except that is only how amnesia happens in the movies. The reality of memory loss after head injury is NOTHING like that crap.
This ending was bittersweet. I was thinking he’d end up dead so glad that he’s alive, but still kind of a sad ending 😕
Great reporting as always LA
Thanks 🙏 love case cracked!! Appreciate all the work& effort John’s& Christy
I thought it was strange that he expected his wife to get up at the crack of dawn, to call him, to make sure he was up by 5:30 am...the hotel could have given him a wake up call...Was this the usual action when he went traveling alone...His wife's call kicks off the whole "he's missing" scenerio...
Yes i thought that too. Back then you could arrange for a wake up call through the front desk. Why did he need his wife to babysit him and wake him up?! Also, small travel alarm clicks were common during that time.
@Red Sloane: to be fair, some smaller or boutique hotels charge extra for a wake up call. Back in the day when I traveled for work, hotels did not always have alarm clocks as standard room equipment. When I traveled for work I took a portable alarm clock with me.
@@user-mv9tt4st9k yes me too, took the little alarm click along.
Many hotel/motel rooms have alarm clocks
I don’t find that strange. He likely wanted to talk to her in the morning anyways to start off his day!
Thanks, John!
Great video, and super informative.
This one broke my heart. Poor woman.
'De nile' isn't just a river in Egypt
I don’t believe the husband. He knew who he was as soon as he saw the show? Seems “fishy” to me
He obviously recognised himself when they showed his photo.
@@girlwhomustnotbenamed4139 and that is not at ALL how amnesia works in the real world
@@cacu3989 Wait, care to elaborate more on this? It sounds interesting. You mean not all people will recognize their own face from before their incident?
What a loyal wife! Just wow!
I feel awful that she didn't have the ending she more than likely wanted to have.
I thought he called Unsolved Mysteries & got ahold of her that way.
I don’t think that’s a mystery. I’m sure he called the number on the screen and they gave him her contact numbers. He definitely could have been mugged, but why did the people who stole his credit cards never use them?? Maybe they just used the cash and ditched the credit cards because they thought they would be caught if they did. Were they sure the beard trimmings were actually from Craig- or did they just think that they were. If he was mugged and the muggers travelled towards Mexico they could have ditched the credit cards so they wouldn’t be caught with them. Did they process the rental car for evidence?? Were there any other fingerprints on the steering wheel or rearview mirror over than Craig’s?? This might be one of the ways they could prove whether or not he drove it down there. Does he know what states he passed through after being discharged from the hospital?? What state was he hospitalized in? And what arrangements were made for follow up - did he do extensive therapy there before he left and continued on towards Florida? I think scouting through that hospital record will likely give them more answers.
It's just sad that this happened to both of them. People, please get head injuries checked out immediately. Not sure if I totally believe his story though.
What a sad story, the lost (?) man and his long suffering wife.
I don't know what to think. I'm leaning toward he did this on purpose, because it's hard to argue with experts and the fact that he somehow remembered both his wife and his ex-wife's phone numbers to call them. He said he woke up in a hospital with the name Ron on his wristband, did anyone ever check into that? Like, which hospital and whether they had records of him there? But, it's also weird that when he came back his wife said that his personality was different. And if he did disappear on purpose then why did he come back at all?
Also didn't the local LE have a file on his "mugging?" What about the ambulance...was his insurance contacted to pay for that? Were his doctors at the hospital contacted by LE? Too 🐟-y for sure!
John researched that the UM episode about the guy had aired eight times by the time he finally contacted his wife. It may have been that he felt that at some point someone else would report him--better that he quietly handle it hmself.
@@user-mv9tt4st9k That's possible, but it just doesn't sit right.
Thank you. Love the presentation, what a lady,!
Thanks Christy ✌
Good morning everyone!!! Got my java and ...John!
Remember watching it in the 1990's on UM & feeling very sad for the wife & thinking it was a load of bs-both the segment theory & his response. If he wanted out then he should have just said & not put the family through that & wasted the time & resources of law enforcement etc. It was clear on the segment where they reunited that this woman was deeply in love with him & he felt nothing for her.
John researched that the UM episode had aired eight times before the guy got in touch with his wife. After three years, and eight UM episodes it might have been time for him reveal himself.
I find it weird that he was offered the chance to press charges against people who mugged him. That would imply that the police know who mugged him. So who are these people? Is this assault a real event that they have a police report on?
More. likely the police were testing him to see if there really were muggers.
Not necessarily. If he planned on filing a complaint, then the police would have to try and find the "muggers," but he would have been able to say he didn't plan on pressing charges regardless of whether the police ever found or identified anyone.
Thanks John ✌
We need to start keeping a tally how many times the police suggest that a missing person has just run away
Infuriating, especially with teenagers. 😭
I was watching old videos of the original Unsolved Mysteries. I just happened to watch this episode! I saw it when it first came out though. But how weird. This has been happening a lot lately where I’ll watch something & the next day, someone will do an video on that person/topic....
Anyways, I believe he really made a fool of her. I don’t buy the amnesia story.
Just adding: No, the ex wife wasn’t mentioned in the UM episode. It just said they were each married once before their wedding. By the way, how could he remember he was robbed & beaten? The fish were no where to be found. So clearly he got rid of them before the place he was headed. He ended up in OK. Heading past Oklahoma from IL. I just can’t remember where he was headed except to the West Coast.
Yeah I would love to watch those old Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack but I hate not knowing if a given mystery has been solved in the ensuing decades.
That happened to me once before where I saw a UM episode and the featured story was covered by John a day or two later in a Brainscratch episode (I think).
@@normandavidtidiman9918~ yes! It happens a lot lately, not just by John but Danielle & a few others I listen to!
@@rdwwdr3520~ Very true. If there is a case that doesn’t have an update that I find real interesting, I’ll look it up. But sometimes you just don’t have the time!
@@rdwwdr3520 All those old episodes have the new updates on how it turned out. You can watch them now on RUclips I watched this exact story an it had the current updated story
Thanks for this vids! Love to watch it man
There was a case about a woman named Ashley who had ovarian case and retrograde amnesia back in 2015. Thankfully she was found by her family using the internet. She could have easily died due to her poor health.
Been so so a long time since I have been able to get back to your channel! Songood
Hi John. Thanks for another great upload.
Now that's crazy!, should be a movie!
That poor woman. She was the real deal. I hope she's found happiness.
I recall a similar case from Tacoma WA. A reporter for the News Tribune was investigating the Sheriff when she disappeared. A few years later another reporter for the same newspaper started investigating her disappearance and it's connection to the Sheriff. Because of the publicity she was found, in Alaska, a married housewife with no memory of her former life. Her parents arranged a meeting and she had no memory of them. She said that her earliest memory was waking up in a mall parking lot. That was more than ten years ago now, and I haven't kept up with it. Sheriff Mark French was later charged and convicted of multiple cases of kiddie porn and sentenced to house arrest.
This sounds extremely suspect to me. It sounds to me and I hate to say it but it sounds like he left his wife knowing the majority of the borrowed money was from her family then left the bank loans for her to deal with and finally in the end divorced her walking away free or any responsibilities from it.
Agree!
Yep. I imagine the $2500 in cash he took with him was just to help get started in his new location. Also explains why the equipment he was supposed to buy with that money was mysteriously absent.
@@kaleidoscopic9495 yes, exactly!
Well that was a heartbreaking end
That title sounds like a Perry Mason episode...
Wow, this case makes me feel some sort of way. It's tragic whichever way you choose to believe...
Fascinating episode. He may have been a weak man who opted out but I was so glad not to hear that "his body was found", etc. As per brain injury/amnesia, there is a famous case where the man suffered some injury and had to be hospitalized for the rest of his life. He could eat, sleep, dress himself and walk but he had no memory longer than a couple minutes. So every day his doctor had to introduce himself to the patient he'd been caring for, for years. He could have a conversation but completely forget it in a few minutes, so rendered incompetent.
How incredibly frustrating and sad. Especially for that poor woman! I hope she is doing well now. Say did she publicly state her theory of him being mugged in Colorado?? Thanks John and Christy. Saw the right spelling this time!🙏💔🤔 Btw youtube asked so I gave them an earful about what you mentioned. A LONG earful. They might block me Idk.😉
Yes, his "amnesia" story does sound fishy to say the least. But here's a list of my questions in my head:
#1 Within a year after his "disapparence", his case was presented in Unsolved Mystery?
-- I thought that stories told on "Unsolved" Mystery were cases took place in like 10, 20 years prior, when all hope was gone.
#2. Then, a year from the story been aired on Unsolved Mystery, he called his wife. Here's the problem i have.
-- If he meant to run away, why did he call his wife? It was in 1995, before the internet era, he could easily stay in hiding.
Plus, calling back home, him being found alive, would mean that he is still liable for the huge debts.
And even called his exwife! Wouldn't that be a deadly giveaway?
So, WHY did Craig make that phone call, why "come out from HIS closet", if he meant to run away from his debts?
#3. "When Craig was asked if he would press charges against the men who had mugged him, he declined".
-- Does this mean that the police had already arrested the suspects, the "men who had mugged Craig"?
If yes, wouldnt that collaberate with his "been mugged" story?
If no, then why did the police ask Craig that question? Press charges against who?
And that word, "the men", if no arrested been made, how did they know that it was "men", not "one man"?
I know your questions are two years old. But I can give you my theory.
Craig knew he would eventually be found, that is why he called his wife. He knew after watching the Unsolved Mysteries episode that is wife indeed thinks he has amnesia. Craig manipulated the situation and understood that people really did think he had amnesia. So Craig took advantage of the opportunity to come out and act on is alleged amnesia to get out of his marriage.
His real goal was to steal his wife's money, they are many con artist and sociopath people in this world that do things like this.
Omg! Wow I made it early!!! Nice work John and thank you
Hmm
i'm still keeping an open mind
sometimes things happen that my mind can't understand,but my mind and imagination has it's limitations
He called her from the hotel the night before he disappeared. Or did he? Wonder if they verified whether or not he was still in Colorado when he made that call?
Would the Unsolved Mysteries episode have had contact information? If he merely oulled a runner, he's a COWARD. FYI, in most places you should have the option of making your number unlisted. Usually there's a small fee attached to that.
I'm reminded of the Kenna Harris case. She suffered from TBI (traumatic brain injury). I will never forget what her mother said and she nailed it: "doctors call it a traumatic brain injury but what it really is is permanent brain damage". She's right. We all have to fight those in the medical field to CHANGE this devastatingly misleading name. Patients are tricked into thinking it will heal.
Too bad in beginning of Craig's investigation that the issue at checking hospitals on account of the concussion didn't come up (or maybe it did but we didn't hear about it). Or putting out more urgent alerts to the public about him missing and having an injury. Sad story. Head injuries are very, very strange things, and I really feel for a person and family that have to learn to adapt to the changes in their loved one.
I've worked in Alzheimer care all my life. Some kinds of memory loss affect short-term and medium-term, but in some cases people can remember incredible details from decades ago. This might be why he remembered his first wife's phone number?
I remember watching this episode with the update and immediately thought that guy was lying and probably thought "ow S!@$!" when he saw himself on Unsolved Mysteries and came up with the amnesia excuse.
I lived in Key West, it's definitely a place where some people go who don't want to be found.
Lol yeah I was in Key West back in 2012… Definitely some folks hiding out there
Yay! Good morning!
The “man” was a coward. Makes me so angry.
Unsolved mysteries would have her details to give Craig..
Actually memory loss like that can and does happen. If you have a severe enough head injury you can suffer from retrograde amnesia - and you can’t remember anything from before the head trauma. I tend to think this isn’t the case with this story, but I need more details to know for sure.
Was he able to say where he was hospitalized? Do they have an MRI showing the brain bleed or trauma? Sometimes these patients over time will remember bits and pieces over their past including names of significant people from their past and sometimes even their occupation. But they definitely should be able to track down medical records. He would for sure have lingering disabilities that would require therapy to improve.
Is there any history of this behaviour in his past?? I wonder what his first ex-wife and parents would have to say about this. Why/when was he on a train?? I thought he was driving down to pick up the fish and/or generators? Was travelling on the bus part of the original plan? We need more answers before we can be sure of what went on here. Very sad for Christine.
Halfway through I saw the thumbnail picture and realised (before you mentioned) I'd seen this story on Unsolved Mysteries. I didn't believe his cock and bull story then,and I don't believe it now. Sadly,from what I remember she seemed to have no grievance towards him and he got away with totally deceiving the Police and his wife. Also,as mentioned,he escaped responsibility towards his share of that massive series of loans that they both took out. Loathsome bastard.
@ 11:58... what's that noise?
The only thing I don't understand is why he responded to the Unsolved Mysteries episode. I definitely agree he faked it, but why come forward later?
Well, at least nobody died in this episode. The guy had two head traumas, so who knows how much of his "fugue state" was real and how much was fabricated.
He took the money and ran!
There is a video on the Real Stories Facebook page called “Amnesia or Lie” that goes into detail on a VERY similar story y’all should watch. Very interesting, to say the least.
What a tale, poor lady though, Christine seems like a sweet heart. I do believe he is at least bipolar but he definitely ghosted her in the worst way, baited her like a fish! Sorry sweet lady Craig is a swindler
That’s so sad
I’d be interested to know, how and why he contacted her and not the police??? Don’t USM usually have the contact details for authorities? If you wanted to disappear, is it easier to keep a name that is close to your real name or have a completely different name? If someone is in a hospital with “amnesia”, do they just toss you out onto the street... even back then? I would love to know if he got a settlement from the divorce..... because his wife sold the farm, and I’m assuming the bus too??? My husband had a catastrophic brain haemorrhage [stroke]. He recovered, but was never the same. There’s black spots in his memory. Sometimes I could describe him as a bit of a robot, doing certain tasks that he is not remembering to do, it just that the body remembers how to do things. Like auto pilot. I don’t believe this guy and I hope his wife has found some happiness.
In 2012 I was punched, knocked out instantly and my head bounced off the ground. I remember the seconds before being hit but nothing for hour or so after. For about 6 months I knew my kids were my kids but I couldn’t remember their names. I couldn’t remember my address and other things. It’s been several years and there’s people I have no recollection of meeting in 2012/2013
I still have migraines and now have trouble with short term memory.
He probably called the Unsolved Mysteries number, and they connected him to his wife.
Mostly women (but also some men) when they are in love they want to be so helpful and save the spouse who makes them feel good that they stop noticing any red flags. Non violent men can be deceiving, they treat their wives nicely but manipulate them to get money in this case also from her family, all the while he seems very much excited and happy until no longer cares, takes the money and run. When he said call me tomorrow to wake me up while he didn’t even sleep in his hotel room, I knew he had planned his disappearance before his trip. Family members love their daughters they are often willing to do anything to keep her happy and they too throw their logic out the window.
More like he had selective amnesia.
Sounds like the Danny Filippidis case. That sounded fishy too.
Can everyone's stop taking lives that aren't theirs to take. Enough kills us on this planet. Focus on your own life and stop harming others.
It makes me sick when the police complain about having to investigate too hard.. they act like investigations and managerial work is hard labor... you never hear of a judge sentencing somebody to 20 years of hard management
I feel so terrible and sad about Christen. I’ve never ever heard anything like this story or I should say Christin! Unbelievable wife and devoted!! She’s an ideal wife for any man bcuz of all the extensive caring that she shows for him. And to go to that extreme to travel so far away just to find him. She loves him for bad and for good!! Not many wives could do what she did. She should be honored “best wife of the year.”
This man is a cheap, con-artist. Shame on him - he's a coward. Poor woman.
I was knocked down as an 8-year-old and left with an open skull fracture. it has meant that there are many things from my childhood that I have forgotten. on the basis of the assault, as an adult I have had epilepsy, these seizures have erased much of my memory from before and I do not remember very well. So something may be true but do not completely believe in him.
Morning John
The cops are pissed because THEY didnt find him.
Might have seen the credit cards on him self and thought he had stolen cards as he didn’t reckonize his name so just left them
Another great vid. Just so you know, for me, personally I flip it off after you say "case cracked". Im not particularly interested in the discussion- unless its with family member of the missing. Please please take this as constructive criticism and not an insult! I love your channel and im just trying to give you insight into one of your fans' preferences. Good job, John (and crew)
I do like the discussion. Just letting another point of view be known.
Can you please find California City missing toddlers?
Reminds me of the Sophia Loren movie, "Sunflower".
I just started warching youtuber Mishkali and she got amnesia, it is interesting to watch. Interesting case?
I had t h e same thing happen. Had tbi then was mugged 6 months later . Hit with pipes and bats in the back of head. I could even read for a year. Couldn't drive etc. Im lucky
Don’t think I stopped my Patron though 🤞hope it has been going as well as it should have
" I have to feed the fish. "
How was his new name so close to his old name?
"His subconscious mind remembered his real first and surname, the amnesia wiped out his middle name"?
The circumstances make it hard to believe this one...
I feel like this is still kind of a brain scratch. I'm not sure if I believe his story. The cut whiskers thing is what I'm stuck on.
I do remember watching this on Unsolved Mysteries. I just don't know and we may never really know.
We really do (know)...
How is trimming your beard an attempt to hide your identity?? Hubby does that several times/week lol. That's just basic manscaping.
I said the same thing. My husband leaves them everywhere!
@@christyarnhart4152 ugh same!
Ha ha ha... I clean up beard trimmings pretty much daily.
a person with amnesia would not even care or have the self awareness to trim their beard. That is the point.
Has he been examined?
He is a cruel human being for doing what he did. Thank the lord they did not have any children together. It is evil and cruel for a spouse to just abandon their partner. Look at how many years she lost searching for a man who never loved her. Searching for a thief and con artist. I truly feel sorry for Christine
There are so many gaps in this story. Mainly, wouldn't hospital records confirm the head injury? I suppose the records are unavailable to the public because of HIPAA. These records are the missing link to knowing if he fabricated the story or not.
What about the money he took with him...
Someone mugged him for the fish??
Please consider my application for Sabrina Kohler. My girlfriend cries every time she sees her picture.
I wonder what his ex-wife is thinking about him.
I smell deceit. I think he wanted an easy (for him) way out.
I’m guessing you can live off 200,000 for a long time. Especially in the 90’s.
How did he get back into Usa without id?
This took place in the 1990s. Back then the border authorities may not have required more than an ID card for re-entry: it was fairly common then to travel back and forth to Mexico without a Passport.