 Ladies and gentlemen, tonight in Miami, Florida, a group of men are gathered together for their annual conference For their day in day out service to the public Dragnet honors the 58th annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police The story you're about to hear is true The names have been changed to protect the innocent Fatima cigarettes best of all king-size cigarettes brings you drag met You're a detective sergeant you're assigned a homicide detail a wealthy retired businessman suddenly disappears You've got two possibilities to work on suspicion of suicide Suspicion of foul play There's no lead to the man's whereabouts Your job Find him The latest Fatima sales report shows Thousands and thousands of king-size cigarette smokers are switching to Fatima more and more smokers coast to coast Are finding in Fatima the difference is quality you see Fatima Contains the finest domestic and Turkish tobaccos superbly blended and Fatima is extra mild with a much different much better flavor and aroma You'll find Fatima gives you all the advantages of extra length plus Fatima quality Which no other king-size cigarette has Fatima best of all king-size cigarettes Definitely the best quality in its class, but the same price as the cigarette. You're now smoking next time insist on the best Buy king-size Fatima in the distinctive golden yellow package Drag net the documented drama of an actual crime for the next 30 minutes in Cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department You will travel step-by-step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files From beginning to end from crime to punishment drag net is the story of your police force in action It was Wednesday February 6th was cold in Los Angeles. We're working the day watch out a homicide detail My partner's been Romero the boss is that brown chief of detectives my name's Friday I was on the way back from the record bureau and it was 11 18 a.m. When I got to room 42 Homicide Joe hi She show up yet. Yeah a couple of minutes ago. She's waiting for us now in the next room. You talk to her at all No, it seems to be a nice enough woman. I don't know how much help she's gonna be Go ahead Miss Bennett I'd like to have you meet my partner sergeant Friday Joe. This is miss Banner. Hello. I'm sorry I wasn't home when you stopped by yesterday sergeant. I got the card you left though I called in as soon as I got home. Well, thanks for coming in miss Banner We have a few questions. We'd like to ask you won't take very long We have a communication from a Gladys Dylan back in New York miss Banner It's about her brother a Chester Dylan. We understand you rented his home from him. I don't know it's an avenue Mr. Dylan. Well, yes, I've got a two-year lease on the house. I rented it from him last November Well, according to the letter we got from mr. Dylan sisters. She's worried about him She hasn't heard from him in some time. You any idea where we could contact him? Well the last I heard He left on a trip to New York. That was about eight weeks ago I'd say you see I usually sent the check for the rent the apartment he had here and when he left on his trip He told me to hold on to the rent checks and he'd collect them when he got back How long did he say he'd be gone? I don't remember definitely I think he said four or five months. He didn't leave any forwarding address any place you could contact him back He's no he didn't he just wanted to get away didn't want to be bothered with anyone He wasn't feeling very well. He's very depressed poor man. Well, why was that ma'am? Do you know his wife died? Just a few months ago, you know, no ma'am. We didn't know all we got from his sister was that she hadn't heard from Dylan She was worrying. She didn't give us any other information. Oh, yes This is Dylan died and last September. I think it was poor man felt terrible about it Couldn't seem to get over it. That's why he rented the house to me reminded him too much of her. Yes, ma'am I understand lovely home they have mr. Dylan said he really didn't want to rent it But he couldn't stand being alone in the house was a large place, you know Yes, ma'am. We checked with the people living in the house now. We understand you leased the place to them last month I subleased it. Yes, you see it just got too big for me was nice at first But it got to be an awful lot of work. I rented it to this family and took a smaller house down the street Would you happen to know any of mr. Dylan's friends in the city miss banner anyone? We could contact who might know where we can locate him. I don't know We didn't seem to have any friends he and his wife had only been in the city a year before she died He was retired, you know, yes, ma'am. We talked to some of the neighbors out there. They couldn't tell us much about him Maybe some of the people he did business with might know something if he tried the neighborhood bank out there I know that's where mr. Dylan had his account. No, ma'am. We haven't shot. I can give you the bank's address It's about all though. That's the only contact, you know, I'm afraid so. Yes I didn't know much about mr. Dylan's private affairs whenever I talked to him It seemed the only thing he had on his mind was his wife's death. It couldn't seem to get over it Seems like he didn't want to get over it You mentioned that when you leased his home mr. Dylan took an apartment. Do you happen to have that address miss banner? Well, I don't have it with me now, but I have it at home I can call in and give it to you if you like if you would please certainly Well, thank you very much miss banner You have our card and when you hear anything at all from mr. Dylan, we'd appreciate it if you'd call it and surely I'll call you right away You think something could have happened to him. Well, it's possible. We don't know all we have is the letter from his sister That's him kind of strange doesn't it? Wasn't feeling too well. I wondered why he hadn't contacted me about sending the rent money to him It's such a nice man mr. Dylan. I certainly hope nothing's happened to him Well, you say he was very depressed about his wife's death, ma'am Would you say that it was getting to be a little abnormal with him? Maybe well, I wouldn't know about that sergeant But I didn't know he brooded about it all the time. He felt that he'd lost everything Didn't seem to want to go on. Mm-hmm. He ever give an indication that maybe might take his own life I mean all this brooding over his wife. Well, no nothing definite just depressed and moody all the time. Oh Now that I remember it the last time I saw him. He did say something kind of funny Yes, ma'am. What was that? It was the day before he left We were talking about the rent money and I asked him if I couldn't send it to him He got kind of a strange look on his face. Yeah, he said where I'm going. I won't need the money The day before we called on Lucille Banner for an interview a letter had been received from a Miss Gladys Dylan in Elmira, New York Her request was routine. There was one of thousands of similar letters received every year by police departments all over the country Each one of them has to be worked out to the satisfaction of all parties concerned The person who's reported missing and the person looking for them. It's an enormous job requiring thousands of man-hours annually Like the dozens of other investigations handled by the police officer some of the men happily some of them in tragedy Whatever the result the finding of a lost person is just as important a function of your local police department as any other investigation Gladys Dylan hadn't heard from her brother recently. She was worried about him. She asked us to investigate Our initial interview with Lucille Banner the woman who'd rented Chester Dylan's home failed to yield much of a lead as to Whereabouts the only source of additional information she could offer was the neighborhood bank where Dylan had his account One o'clock that afternoon Ben and I drove out to interview the manager of the bank a mr. Harrison Yes, that's right. Mr. Dylan's had his account with us ever since he came to Los Angeles I know him quite well. Is there something you'd like to know about him? Yes, sir There is we had a request from his sister in New York. She'd like to look in well I'm pretty sure his account still open here a matter of fact. I'm positive I'll have one of the clerk get his file. All right. Thank you, sir That reminds me almost forgot. Yeah, what's that? I gotta get to the bank tomorrow for sure payment on my cars a day past you already only got two mavens left I mean, you're doing fine. I got another eight months to go. I'm not so fine Two more payments to go and now the wife wants a new one never fail. Here. We are sergeant Just as I thought Mr. Dylan's account is still open. There have been any recent deposits or withdrawals on the account This is I thought nothing since he left on his trip that last withdrawal date was November 27th He mentioned to you that he was going on a trip. Did he yes I think he said he was going back to New York more or less a vacation trip His wife died recently. He didn't take it too well. Yes, we understand Did he leave any instructions about his account with you? Mr. Harrison any address you could contact him at if you had to No, he didn't leave any instructions with me. No address just a vacation trip He said he didn't expect to be gone too long because he mentioned how long it would be Five or six weeks. I think that's what he said I happened to talk to him about it because at the time he made quite a sizable withdrawal I thought maybe he was a little unhappy with our service. How much was it withdrawal, sir? see Here it is November 27th. He withdrew $2,400. Was that in cash or in traveler's checks, do you know that? Now it shows here that it was in cash. Mr. Harrison you said a minute ago that you knew Mr. Dylan pretty well Yes, that's right. He used to stop and chat with me whenever he'd come in the bank. That was usually once a week I didn't know him socially though. You mentioned he seemed to take his wife's death pretty hard, Jim What would you say his mental condition was last time he saw him? All right, I'd say just after his wife's death. He wasn't in very good shape brooded about it quite a bit And he began to pull out of it seemed to be in a fairly good frame of mind Planned this vacation. He was looking forward to it. I see Why do you ask? Is something wrong? No, sir. Not that we know of routine check. That's about the same Does Dylan have any other real estate besides the house on Rawson Avenue? Would you have no that? Not to my knowledge. No, he has no other business connections in Los Angeles Here are all his references right here See most of them are charge accounts and so forth I remember the time he opened his account with us. He told me he was retired He and his wife came out here for their help. Do you have any relatives out here? Do you know Mr. Harrison? No, from what I understand both of their families are in the east They don't have any children according to his application very few relatives And since Dylan was in here last november to make that withdrawal you've had no communications from at all, didn't I? No, sir. I haven't What seems to be the trouble you have an idea something might be wrong? Nothing definite. No, sir We've been told about his feeling depressed over his wife's death and there was some indication He might possibly have done away with himself after what you've told us. It doesn't seem too likely I don't know. I wouldn't like to commit myself as I say he did seem to be getting over it I didn't know him that well though might be entirely possible He was devoted to mrs. Dylan. Maybe he could have taken his own life. I don't know Well, it leaves a big question to answer doesn't it? What's that? Why do you need the 2400 dollars to do it? 125 p.m. We continued interviewing the bank manager mr. Harrison, but he was unable to come up with any further leads Before we left the bank he gave us a complete list of all of chester dylan's references We gave him our card and he told us he would pass along immediately any information he might get on the whereabouts of mr. Dylan 145 we went back to the office where we got a call from lucille banner She gave us dylan's last known address and we drove out to check it It was an apartment court in the pico-crenshaw area We talked to the manager and she told us that dylan had moved out three months before on november 22nd He told her that he was moving in with a close friend of his and he gave her his forwarding address It turned out to be a single story frame cottage located in one of the older residential districts of the city The name on the mailbox read raymond l. Schaefer We rang the bell and a man who identified himself as raymond schaefer Ushered us into a small living room He told us that he was from the same town in the east that the dylan's came from and that he was a long time Friend of theirs. No, I haven't seen chester for months last november I think it was as last time I saw him. You see at that time dylan was living in the apartment down in the pico-crenshaw area Yeah, that's right. You mean he never came here to live with you No, it's just like I told you before he talked about moving in here with me But he never did having any idea where he is Well, he gave you a name here as a forwarding address schaefer if you've been getting his mail Yeah, matter of fact, I have he told me he was going to do that Never came to pick it up though seemed funny to me. You're still getting his mail here. Is that right? Yeah, it's still coming not much of it Maybe a letter a week mostly bills and advertising This list of names you've given us sir. These are all the people in the east mr Dillam was acquainted with people he might contact in this trip back there, is that right? That's all of them As far as I know he hadn't been back there yet though. How do you know that? I got a letter from my sister gert a couple of days ago if chester was in town gert would have known about it He would have been sure to stop by and see her I wish I could help you tell you the truth and get a little worried about him myself Well, here's one more question mr schaefer You know if mr. Dillam was in the habit of carrying large sums of money around with him No, I don't think so chester was pretty cautious that way. It wasn't too free with a dolly, you know Would you happen to know if he had a large sum of money with him the last time you saw him? No, if he did have he didn't mention it actually You can't think of anything else that might give us a lead on mr. Dillam's worry about anything at all I think I've told you everything I wish there was something I could tell you that it helped You sure hope nothing's happened to it. Yes, sir Now would you mind showing us that mail you're holding for them, please? Oh sure, sir. You're right over here In the desk There you are. That's all of it. Mm-hmm. Thank you Anything joe No, not much bills circulars There's one with a new york postmark El maya probably from his sister another one only three days old from the union department store a couple more earlier dates on it That's about it. You know copy down the return addresses on fire Mr. Schaefer, yeah This suitcase with a desk here initials on it cld. Yeah CLD is that your bank shaper? Oh, no, I forgot to tell you a chest to let that here one day Huh, how was that? Well, that was one day just before he was going to leave on his vacation And he brought over here and said he'd like to leave it with me forgot to mention it to you You bring anything else with him? Yeah, he brought another suitcase with him just like this one I got in the other room He said he wanted to leave him here while he was on his vacation. I'm sorry. I forgot to mention it Maybe you forgot something else Schaefer. What most people take their suitcases on a trip, don't they? 2 30 p.m. We continued questioning Raymond Schaefer We opened the two suitcases labeled with the initials of chest or dylan and found an assortment of personal items Which Schaefer told us belonged to dylan and his late wife Small pictures cigarette boxes books similar articles, which apparently would not be taken on a vacation trip None of them were of any great value After we left Schaefer's home, we checked him through our eye and found he had no criminal record We checked further with friends and acquaintances of both men and found nothing to indicate that Schaefer wasn't any way involved in the disappearance of jester dylan 3 30 p.m. We called the office and found that there'd been no answers so far to the broadcast and missing persons bulletins that we'd gotten out on dylan We started checking your references given us by the bank First was the union department store It was located on main street in the south end of town We checked with the credit department to see what information we could get from them Yes, there's the file on the dylan's right here. Mr. Ellen Sarah j on rosson avenue. Yes, ma'am That's one. What information would you like sir? We're trying to locate mr. Dillon, ma'am Have you had any recent change of address on that account? No, we haven't if they moved, you know Well, we believe so we don't know his present address though Well, we do have an outstanding bill of theirs. I know this sent them several form letters We've been trying to contact them ourselves. Have there been any recent charges on that account, you know, let's see Nothing too recent. No Last charge was made on december 5th Yes, thursday december 5th That's a couple of weeks after he disappeared. Yeah, that's right. What was that charge for ma'am? What did mr. Dillon buy? Oh, mr. Dillon didn't buy anything Megapine the slip was signed by mrs. Dillon You are listening to dragnet authentic stories of your police force in action If you smoke king-size cigarettes Listen to fatimas amazing new offer buy a pack of fatimas Enjoy their extra mildness and superbly blended tobaccos if you don't like fatimas better than the king-sized cigarette You're now smoking return the pack with the unused fatimas and we'll give you your money back plus postage We make this amazing offer because we believe fatima is the best of all king-sized cigarettes smokers all over the country are confirming this every day Here is the latest state-by-state report State one fatima sales up 72 percent two sales up 54 percent three sales up 107 percent four sales up 192 percent and those are just a few Remember if you're not convinced fatima is better than your present king-sized cigarette Just return the pack with the unsmoked fatimas before december 1st and get your money back plus postage Fatima box 37 new york one Five fatima best of all king-sized cigarettes Four 15 p.m. thursday february 7th as soon as the clerk in the credit department at the union department store showed us the sales slip With the late mrs. sarah dylan signature on it. We had the date on the sales slip double checked immediately The date as shown on the slip was correct beyond any doubt december 5th That was a little more than two and a half months after sarah dylan had died Who the person was who forged her signature or why they'd forged it? We had no idea The amount of the charge purchase as shown on the sales slip was for $418 All of it for women's clothing We attempted to check with the sales girl who handled the purchase a laura van curt, but we were told it was her day off We called her home. They told us that she was gone for the day and couldn't be located They said she'd be at work the following morning 4 40 p.m. Ben and i took the sales slip with the forge signature on it and drove back to the office We went directly to forgery detail briefed them on our findings and gave them the sales slip Then we drove back to the home of the dylan's friend raymond schaefer and checked through the two suitcases there We came up with a small photo of mrs. Dillon along with exemplars of her handwriting as well as her husbands Which we found in an autograph album in one of the suitcases The handwriting samples were checked against the signature on the sales slip, but neither of them matched The work of compiling a list of all known female forgery suspects was begun immediately The following morning ben and i went back to the union department store where we interviewed the sales girl laura van curt Who'd handle the purchase. Yes. I remember making the sale officer I'm not too sure about the woman who bought the things though. I mean what she looked like Well, could you try to describe her force mrs. Van curtges as well as you can remember she had light brown hair I'm pretty sure that Not too old maybe in her late 30s early 40s She was a plain-looking woman Five foot five six thin as I remember She wore glasses. I remember that too. I see you got that picture mrs. Dillon there ben Oh, yeah, yeah here you are Would you take a look at this picture miss? Now does that look like the woman you waited on No, no, that's not her The woman I waited on was much younger She had light brown hair too, not gray Thin face I think And she wore glasses. I'm sure that you remember if there was a man with a miss van curt or was she alone? No, she was alone Now that I remember there was something very different about the glasses she wore I don't know if that's important or not. What about her glasses? They were horn rimmed as I remember very light color And there was some metal work along the top edge of the frame Very smart-looking Gold metal all along the top light brown hairs light bill thin face late 30s early 40s Were light horn rimmed glasses and gold metal on the frame. Yes, that's right Check me if I'm wrong joe that description time familiar That's what I was thinking horn rimmed glasses metal work on The woman who came to see us at the office. Yeah, you got it lucille banner Ben and I went back to the office and had lucille banner checked through our eye She had no criminal record Then we drove to the home on ralston avenue, which chester dillon had leased to lucille banner and which she interned sublet We obtained a copy of the lease which the banner woman had with the current tenants and which bore her signature We brought the copy of the lease downtown gave it to don myron handwriting and asked him to compare lucille banner signature With the signature on the sales slip that we'd obtained from the union department store 15 minutes later he called us at the office with a result. Yeah, don That's so You're right. Thanks a lot. What do you get says there's no question in his mind. Yeah, both signatures match perfectly What the reason was behind lucille banners forging the signature of mrs. Dillon on the sales slip we didn't know Whether or not it had any connection with the disappearance of chester dillon. We didn't know As soon as we got the handwriting report from don mayer banner I left the office immediately and drove to the bungalow, which the banner woman was renting on ralston avenue It was a block down the street from the dillon house lucille banner wasn't at home But a neighborhood gardener trimming the lawn in front of her house told us that she was expected back shortly The gardener who identified himself only as julio volunteered that he also did gardening work for miss banner when she occupied the dillon home He'd also worked for the dillons when they lived in the house He told us he liked the dillons quite a bit, but that he didn't have much use for miss banner He seemed to be up on all the news in the neighborhood He trimmed the hedges of the lawn with hand shears as we talked to him Can you tell us anything about mr. Dillon and miss banners julio? How'd they seem to get along? You know they get along all right, I guess when I worked at the big house down there from his banner That's before she moved. I would see mr. Dillon there He would be at the house maybe once two times a week Miss banner would ask him to come over to dinner for him. Miss banner likes him. I think mr. Dillon I don't know about him. He wasn't feeling so good still thinking about his wife Here I finish up this clipping now There all done you mentioned you don't like miss banner very much julio. Why is that she ever give you a reason not to like her She's a little crazy I think funny woman when I used to work at the big house for her in the garden She would watch me all the time follow me all around tell me to do all kind of crazy jobs She gave me good play though. So I do them. How do you mean julio? What kind of crazy job the compost box for fertilizer You know, she wanted me to build one for her in the backyard. That was down the street the Dillon house Crazy woman. She wanted me to build the compost box in the greenhouse Have a special place mark for whoever heard of that to build a compost box inside a greenhouse crazy Well, did you build it for it? Yes, but not inside the greenhouse I built it outside right next door to the greenhouse when she come outside She go crazy almost call me names crazy. She made me tear it up Then she made me build it inside the greenhouse right on the place you had marked for it Sounds weird and uh when it all this happened julio, do you remember when you built the compost box? I mean a couple of months ago about that. It was just after mr. Dillon went away I tried to tell miss banner who ever heard of a compost box in the greenhouse. She wouldn't listen She had to have it built in a certain place right in the greenhouse a little piece of ground in there The box had to go right on top of her you figure she acted pretty strange about it Do you think she had something there a little piece of ground you think she had something to hide One 15 p.m. Lucille banner returned home and ben and I went inside the house with her where we questioned her in the living room Outside in the front yard the gardener julio continued working on the lawn Lucille banner was calm and composed we questioned her about the forge signature on the sales slip She would admit nothing the whole thing's too silly to even comment on I don't know what you're talking about sergeant We think you do miss banner our handwriting man is check the two signatures one on the sales slip and one on the lease They both match they were written with the same person. There's no doubt about it And check thoroughly know what about it miss banner. There's no way out of it. You ought to know that I'll deny it That's all I keep on denying it. I wasn't in that turn. I didn't forge any signatures Why would I do a thing like that? What kind of a woman do you think I am all we know are the facts, ma'am? Now why don't you give us a straight story? It's going to save time and trouble for everybody concerned You've heard everything I've got to say this thing's ridiculous. It's stupid. I'm not answering any more questions You want to get your hat and coat miss banner for you not to come downtown with it What could that going to do? I'll just keep on denying it. You can't make me say I did a thing like that You want to get your coat, please? It's right here All right. Yes, ma'am cars right out in front Hold up a minute. Will you bed? Yeah, okay, julio. Yes. I'll see you a minute sure Hello miss banner julio Favorite I'd like to ask of you julio. You got a couple minutes to spare. Yeah, you want something We want to take a look in the backyard of the house down the street Mr. Dillon's house like to have you come along with us julio won't take very long Sure. Okay. I'll come along and bring a shovel along will you julio like to check something? Yeah, okay. I bring one. All right. All right miss banner What's this about? What are you trying to do something we want to check in the Dillon's backyard? It won't take long What would it have to do with me? I don't have anything to do with that house I don't even look there anymore. You realize that don't you? Yes, ma'am. We realize it I'll call my lawyer. I'll call him as soon as I get to a phone. Yes, ma'am Julio back this way sorry through the gate What are you trying to do to me? You know, I don't live here anymore I don't even have anything to do with this place. You did live here, ma'am You lived here when mr. Dillon disappeared. Isn't that right? What are you trying to say? You've got no business on this property. You've got no business here at all. Yes, ma'am. We have What? Did you kill jester dillon? Did you kill him? Miss man All right, julio the compost box in the greenhouse. Do you want to start digging? You did compost box? Yeah, okay He was an old man So old he was sick, ma'am He didn't want to live anymore. He didn't have any reason for living Why shouldn't he give me the house? Why shouldn't I have his money? I was nice to him. I cooked for him Wanted to take care of him. He just doesn't want to live anymore. That's all All right, julio you can hold it up You want to tell us ma'am? He needed a woman anybody could tell that he needed me He's got a long sign jester and me I offered to marry him and he wouldn't do it All I could do was think about his wife. She was dead. He'd sit around and talk about her all the time You killed him. Is that what you're trying to say? I wanted to marry jester and take care of him. He wouldn't do it He had an argument in the kitchen one night. I had a gun and I killed him I killed him. Is that where you buried him in the greenhouse? Yes. I buried him deep the gun too. He'll be all right Poor jester. Yeah He was so old he needed a woman And he would tell you that he needed me Well, I guess you made a mistake No, sergeant. He did. Yeah, he didn't want me The story you have just heard was true The names were changed to protect the innocent On june 2nd trial was held in superior court department 86 city and county of los angeles state of california In a moment the results of that trial and now here is our star jack web Thank you friends during the past couple of years We've had many talks with law enforcement agencies and received hundreds of letters from police officers all over the country We're especially pleased to know that so many of these men feel as we do That fatima is the best of all king-sized cigarettes As a matter of fact our sales reports prove beyond a doubt that more and more smokers everywhere are switching to fatima When you buy your first pack, you'll understand why you'll enjoy fatima's extra mildness They're much better flavor and aroma next time look for the golden yellow package and ask for fatima Best of all king-sized cigarettes The seal marie banner was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree She received the sentence as prescribed by law She is now serving a life term in the state penitentiary for women to hatch up in california You have just heard dragnet a series of authentic cases from official files Technical advice comes from the office of chief of police w.h. Parker los angeles police department Fatima cigarettes best of all king-sized cigarettes has brought you dragnet transcribed from los angeles They tuned for counter spy next on mbc