ICYMI: Recap For America’s Most Wanted 3/15/2021
Elizabeth Vargas is the new host of Fox’s America’s Most Wanted, stating that the show has helped capture 1,186 criminals in its initial run. She says that thanks to new technology, law enforcement and viewers, even more will be brought to justice.
Case 1: Today’s first feature is about Glen Godwin, who escaped prison twice and is still on the run. In fact, he was even featured on the show in 1988. He is not only a convicted killer, but also part of drug ring. He was resentful that the pilot was making more money, so he decided to kill him.
He stabbed him 28 times, but when he wouldn’t die, he and the other members of the ring took him to a deserted area to blow up a car with him in it. However, they forgot to take off the licence plate, leading to Godwin’s arrest.
He spends time in one prison before he was transferred to Folsom prison. He kept trying to escape, but always got caught, until his cellmate Lorenzo Karlic got paroled. They made a plan to pull off one of the most daring escapes in history.
Before we get more details, however, the audience is shown an age progression picture, as well as an avatar of what he might look like today. Yodit Tewoldt discusses how his face chanced throughout the years and how he is probably still in pretty good shape. She also concludes that since he is a narccasist, he probably didn’t do much to alter his looks. She also surmises that he uses his charm to get what he wants.
Back to the case. Glen convinces a new officer that he is supposed to be working on another side of the prison. She believes him, so she lets him in, where he completes his major escape. He ends up in Mexico, where he is arrested again. He pulls off his second escape, which involves him killing an inmate at the order of a cartel.
Elizabeth interviews Paul Holes, who says that he might be in Miami, where he was born and could blend in. He concludes that he could still do drug trafficking to support his lavish lifestyle.
ALERTS: Female robbers in Fort Worth, Texas and a series in dognappings in California. None of them seem to be connected, but one of them involved the dognapping and shooting of Lady Gaga’s dogwalker.
Case 2: Eugene Palmer is wanted for the murder of his daughter in law Tammy. She was planning to divorce her husband John due to abuse, cheating and alcoholism. She was terrified for his life, so she filed an order of protection against him.
Eugene was furious about this, and did anything he could do to try and scare her off the property. He even went as far as to threaten her daughter and her boyfriend. Tammy went after him, but no avail. A few days later, he shot her in cold blood and disappeared.
Yodit comes back to show his age progression and avatar. She and Elizabeth describe him as being 81 years old now and possibly shaved his beard and changed his way of dressing. His unique characteristic is a deformed thumb.
Back to the case. A neighbor called 911 after hearing shots and screams. They went to investigate and found Tammy’s lifeless body in the yard.
Apparently, Eugene confessed to the crime to his family who lived across the street and told them to pay his taxes and wait an hour before calling the police.
The police investigated, only to find his abandoned car and campsite. They come to the conclusion that someone helped him escape.
Detective Michael Cruger, who has worked on the case since day one, says he thinks he is bouncing around the South and Upstate, NY. He reminds viewers of the deformed thumb and that it would mean everything to catch him.
ALERTS: An armed car robbery ring in Lake Mary, Florida, a carjacking in Littleton, Colorado (suspect: Phillip Michael Dent)
Case 3: Jennifer Settle is on the run with her daughter McKenna. She became very controlling once she had McKenna. She would not allow McKenna to socialize, nor would she allow her husband Michael to talk to any other female. She and Michael eventually divorced, but he was never allowed to see McKenna. He tried to take her to court, but she skipped town with McKenna.
Yodit shows age progressions of McKenna and Jennifer, saying that people should be looking for a mother/daughter duo. She adds that she could be getting help from churches or shelters who help hide women and children.
Paul returns and says she is probably be where she is familiar, such as Bakersfield, California, Baltimore, Chattanooga and the Denver area. He tells people to look especially closely in the I-25 corridor.
Michael joins her and says that McKenna is probably being told things by Jennifer that justify her actions. He tells her that he loves her and he hopes that she knows that….just in case she is watching.
ALERT: The episode ends with an alert about 4 year old Orrin and 3 year old Orson West, who disappeared from their backyard. There is a reward for their safe return.
Tune in next week for more AMW!
