Faces of Death III

Each year, thousands of people

lose their lives in traffic accidents.

And what you see here are grim reminders

of those unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place

at the wrong time.

The people who run these wrecking yards

make their living by selling spare parts

salvaged from vehicles,

some of which were involved in fatal crashes.

When I view these remains I can't help

but reflect on the terrible accidents that cost

the occupants of these motorized vehicles

their lives;

those bleeding to death while frantically

trying to save themselves from the twisted metal coffins;

the family that decided to take an innocent Sunday drive

that ultimately became their last.

Hello, I'm Dr. Francis B. Gross,

and I would like to invite you on yet

another journey through the Many Faces of Death.

Germany is the home of a special unit

known as the Yellow Angels.

These men patrol the autobahns throughout the country.

Each year they are responsible for saving the lives

of victims who have been injured in auto accidents.

When this man was hit by a car while riding his bicycle,

the expertise of the Yellow Angels came into play.

Their quick arrival at the scene of the accident

was responsible for saving this victim's life.

The autobahn was the brain child of Adolph Hitler.

Construction began on these roadways in the early 1930s.

The sophisticated design of these highways

set the standards for high-speed transportation

around the world.

Last year over 8,000 people lost their lives

on the autobahn.

This motorcyclist was one of those dead.

Since there is no speed limit on these roads,

the possibility of death increases greatly.

When you are traveling at speeds

in excess of 100 miles an hour,

one wrong turn can prove fatal.

Because of the advancement in transportation

of the 20th century,

most travelers are in a constant rush

to reach their destination.

By taking our machines for granted,

we can only come one step closer to death.

Our perception of speed is greatly ignored,

and the concern for our own safety is often forgotten.

If technology ever wanted to take advantage of human life,

the car is probably its best trap.

The human body is no match for the horsepower

of a powerful engine.

Unfortunately, I see no solution

to this face of death,

for as long as people drive,

people will also die.

When layers of fog roll over the autobahn,

accidents become even more prevalent.

When a nine-car accident occurred during this weather,

a truck driver, unable to see the road ahead,

crashed into these cars at 90 miles per hour.

His 38-ton truck jammed the cars into one another

and a huge fire resulted.

Those who weren't burned to death

were trapped and crushed in their vehicles.

During the year of 1980,

a major city in the United States

became an ideal setting for death.

A series of murders had taken place,

and to this day have still remained unsolved.

What can you tell me about the Slasher?

Well, this guy is really smart.

We've covered 13 murders to far,

he hasn't left us a single clue we can use.

Think we'll see any action today?

No way of telling that.

This guy is crazy, just crazy,

he's got all the people in the street

just scared shitless.

Well you two answered the call on the last victim, right?

Yeah, Nicky 13.

Are there any suspects?

None.

This guy, his MO, it's all screwed up.

Half the time he slashes his victim's throat,

and the other half the time he goes ahead

and dismembers the whole body.

I don't know,

I guess it depends on how much time he's got.

Tell me about your call on victim 13 if you will, please.

Well, we had a news crew with us that night, too.

We responded to a call from an electrical business.

We got there, we found a black male about 35,

he had his throat cut.

At least he was all in one piece.

We got another one here, same MO.

Jesus Christ.

God, it's cold out here.

God, I'd like to get my hands on that sucker.

Did you get any witnesses?

No.

Looks like he died instantly.

A homicidal maniac had killed 13 victims.

There could never be justification for murder,

but what stood out about this particular set of crimes

is that the victims were poor,

vagrant winos, who had bothered nobody

except for one man, a psychotic killer

who was seeking some kind of distorted revenge.

So the people of the city's bowery

were forced to live in a community plagued with death.

No matter how intoxicated these winos became,

they still could not forget that a murderer

was lurking in their very midst.

I'm the one that called in,

I just found my buddy,

he's dead over there in that dumpster.

Oh, shoot, where?

Over in the dumpster there.

Take a look.

Oh, shit.

There's gotta be like three or four bodies in there.

It's multiple this time.

The transient residents of this inner city

were once again reminded of their extreme exposure

to violent death.

I really can't believe it.

Honestly, I really can't believe it.

Are you scared about the Slasher?

I am afraid of this guy, the Slasher.

When was the first time you noticed he was missing?

About three days.

I haven't seen him for three days.

Did you worry, or was that--

No, no, drinking and that there you don't worry.

Um,I don't know, I just--

I just don't know where to turn.

I just hope they catch him.

Yeah, me, too, man.

It would be a good thing if they did catch him,

wouldn't have all this trouble on the streets, you know.

Yeah.

They'll catch him sooner or later.

Did he look alright

last time you saw him?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah, he looked real good.

Okay.

And you haven't seen him at all in three days?

Not in three days, no.

No, not off-hand...

When is the last time you saw him?

About three days ago.

I told him not to go out drinking or anything

because that man was out there,

the one who kills everybody.

But he went out drinking anyway.

I tried to take him to detox, but he wouldn't go.

And the last thing he gave me was the dog.

And now he's gone.

How do you feel about this?

Very upset.

I hope they catch whoever did it,

and make him pay for what he did.

I told him not to go out drinking, now he's gone.

I sat around for a long time and I run the skids,

I've been in a lot of bean lines.

I had a friend who was running with me

and he took off one night,

I sent him out to get a short dog,

he never come back.

He ended up in a dumpster,

and he got cut up pretty bad.

I hope they catch the guy,

and I know I can't say nothing dirty about him,

but I wished I could.

I just hope he's proud of himself,

and when they catch him

I hope they put him in the gas chamber,

that's all I can say.

I'm scared, I'm very scared.

And I know he doesn't know where I live,

and it doesn't matter

because I've been living on the skids.

I could stay in any dumpster or any skid anywhere.

But he'll find someone, and what he does, he's sick.

He's very sick.

When the peaceful community of Castle Beach

became a stage for a series of tragic murders

of young, teenage girls,

the people of this small town were forced to live

in a constant fear of death.

The discovery of another victim soon marked

the concluding chapter of one man's killing spree.

How many do you see?

It looks like five or six.

Let me go around the other side of the body.

How long you figure she's been down here?