will.”
Later that afternoon, the two detectives met with Hamilton’s girlfriend, Iola, after she returned to their apartment at the Dolphin Motel.
She verified Hamilton’s account of the events just as he related it to them earlier. The detectives thanked Iola for her time and cooperation and departed.
Weir and Linnert conscientiously interviewed the other witnesses on the list who were at the scene of the fire, including the two young fellows who originally reported the fire, but they learned nothing more. Each gave a similar account of the horrific blaze and the smoke and the general excitement. No one else was able to recall the strange fellow who was so mesmerized by the fire, making such an impression on Daniel Hamilton and the two young fellows who first reported the flaming vehicle.
CHAPTER 9
Early Saturday morning, June 28, Tom McCann sat in a window seat on the plane whisking him to Washington, D.C. There he would officially represent the Orange County, Florida, Sheriff’s Department in the presentation of the immensely popular television program America’s Most Wanted. McCann stared out at the clouds and sky, not quite feeling the impact of his situation, that he was on his way to be part of a drama that so many millions of people devotedly watched each Saturday night on their TV sets.
His thoughts turned to the seriousness of his mission. What if . . . , he considered, What if this program is effective in this case and results in some good leads? Wouldn’t that be terrific? He stopped himself, knowing that crimes were solved by building strong cases through meticulous investigation, not on “what ifs.”
Upon landing, longtime friends of McCann’s ushered him to their waiting automobile and drove him to their home, where he would spend the night following the broadcast.
After an old-time reunion and catching-up session, his friends drove him to the studio where the program was in preparations for the broadcast that evening.
Eagerly, McCann looked over the impressive studio. It was buzzing with people readying the program for airing in just a few hours. As he moved about, he was impressed with the efficiency of this staff’s precision work. He watched for John Walsh, the program’s narrator, but didn’t see him. When he asked about Walsh, he found out that the man would not be on deck for several hours.
McCann was also impressed by the number of persons equipped with telephone-answering equipment to take the many calls that would come as response to the broadcast.
The dramatic TV presentation of the Carla Larson case gave a national audience of millions the facts relating to the vanishing and murder of the lovely young engineer.
The program faithfully detailed the crime, showed pictures of Carla, the areas involved in the case, her Ford Explorer, described the kidnapping, the search and finally the discovery of the body. The show asked anyone who saw or knew anything about the case to call in with the information.
During the show McCann took calls directly from people responding with tips that they thought could be important in solving the case.
Pleased to talk to the callers, he was hopeful there would be some good leads. But on the whole, what he received was of little or no value.
After the airing some of the personnel of the program asked, “Did you learn anything new? Were any of the callers helpful?”
McCann shook his head in disappointment and responded, “I’m afraid not.”
One of the show’s producers consoled McCann. “We’ll get more calls. We always do for several days after the airing, and we’ll pass them on to you,” he promised.
Tom McCann cordially thanked him and left.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department personnel were overwhelmed with the impact of the show. It was well presented and reenacted and gave a true picture of what happened. They were sure something positive would come from it.
Detective Weir kept his opinions and hopes for the program to
Later that afternoon, the two detectives met with Hamilton’s girlfriend, Iola, after she returned to their apartment at the Dolphin Motel.
She verified Hamilton’s account of the events just as he related it to them earlier. The detectives thanked Iola for her time and cooperation and departed.
Weir and Linnert conscientiously interviewed the other witnesses on the list who were at the scene of the fire, including the two young fellows who originally reported the fire, but they learned nothing more. Each gave a similar account of the horrific blaze and the smoke and the general excitement. No one else was able to recall the strange fellow who was so mesmerized by the fire, making such an impression on Daniel Hamilton and the two young fellows who first reported the flaming vehicle.
CHAPTER 9
Early Saturday morning, June 28, Tom McCann sat in a window seat on the plane whisking him to Washington, D.C. There he would officially represent the Orange County, Florida, Sheriff’s Department in the presentation of the immensely popular television program America’s Most Wanted. McCann stared out at the clouds and sky, not quite feeling the impact of his situation, that he was on his way to be part of a drama that so many millions of people devotedly watched each Saturday night on their TV sets.
His thoughts turned to the seriousness of his mission. What if . . . , he considered, What if this program is effective in this case and results in some good leads? Wouldn’t that be terrific? He stopped himself, knowing that crimes were solved by building strong cases through meticulous investigation, not on “what ifs.”
Upon landing, longtime friends of McCann’s ushered him to their waiting automobile and drove him to their home, where he would spend the night following the broadcast.
After an old-time reunion and catching-up session, his friends drove him to the studio where the program was in preparations for the broadcast that evening.
Eagerly, McCann looked over the impressive studio. It was buzzing with people readying the program for airing in just a few hours. As he moved about, he was impressed with the efficiency of this staff’s precision work. He watched for John Walsh, the program’s narrator, but didn’t see him. When he asked about Walsh, he found out that the man would not be on deck for several hours.
McCann was also impressed by the number of persons equipped with telephone-answering equipment to take the many calls that would come as response to the broadcast.
The dramatic TV presentation of the Carla Larson case gave a national audience of millions the facts relating to the vanishing and murder of the lovely young engineer.
The program faithfully detailed the crime, showed pictures of Carla, the areas involved in the case, her Ford Explorer, described the kidnapping, the search and finally the discovery of the body. The show asked anyone who saw or knew anything about the case to call in with the information.
During the show McCann took calls directly from people responding with tips that they thought could be important in solving the case.
Pleased to talk to the callers, he was hopeful there would be some good leads. But on the whole, what he received was of little or no value.
After the airing some of the personnel of the program asked, “Did you learn anything new? Were any of the callers helpful?”
McCann shook his head in disappointment and responded, “I’m afraid not.”
One of the show’s producers consoled McCann. “We’ll get more calls. We always do for several days after the airing, and we’ll pass them on to you,” he promised.
Tom McCann cordially thanked him and left.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department personnel were overwhelmed with the impact of the show. It was well presented and reenacted and gave a true picture of what happened. They were sure something positive would come from it.
Detective Weir kept his opinions and hopes for the program to
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