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Did a missing employee steal half a million in platinum from a glass plant?
CASE DETAILS Saturday, September 12, 1987, began as a typical work day for Dale Kerstetter. The 50-year-old security guard and maintenance man had worked for 27 years at the Corning Glassworks plant in Bradford, Pennsylvania. At 11 PM., Kerstetter began his shift as a weekend security guard. That night, $250,000 worth of platinum pipe vanished from the plant and Dale Kerstetter was never seen again. Pound for pound, platinum is one of the most precious commodities in the world. After Dale Kerstetter disappeared, authorities were mystified. Was Kerstetter the unwitting victim of a robbery or had the engineered the heist himself?  His truck was found abandoned By all accounts, Dale was an ordinary man who was loved by his family and respected by his employer. His son, Al, remembered him as being very compassionate:
On Sunday morning, September 13 th , security guard John Lindquist arrived at 7:00 AM. He expected to find Dale waiting to be relieved:
 He left keys, a packed lunch, and cigarettes Later that morning, Dale’s pickup truck was discovered in the plant parking lot. Police were called in to investigate. The truck yielded a number of clues that suggested Dale had not disappeared voluntarily. His keys were still in the ignition, and he left behind a full carton of cigarettes, an empty gun holster from his .22-caliber pistol, and his daypack. That afternoon, the sheriff’s K-9 unit was brought in to track Dale’s movements in the 112,000-square-foot factory. The dogs led police to the second floor. This was the site of the plant’s glass furnace, also known as “the tank.” The tank contained the valuable platinum pipe but was not part of Dale’s normal security rounds. Even though Dale’s scent was found near the tank, he was nowhere in the building.  Security cameras captured a masked man The investigation next focused on the three security cameras that monitor the factory around the clock. Personnel manager, Patrick Foley, was disturbed by what the cameras had recorded:
Police could not tell if Dale was being coerced or if he was part of the heist. At one point he looked directly into the camera. Was Dale signaling for help? Or was he coolly flaunting his crime? Patrick Foley was sure he knew the answer:
 Was Dale a victim or was he in on the heist? However, Wendy Kerstetter believed her father was an innocent victim. According to her theory, Dale heard or saw the masked intruder and went to investigate:
Another theory places Dale at the center of a bold and premeditated robbery. Inspector Max J. Bizzak of the Pennsylvania State Police was one of the lead investigators on the case:
Whether Dale Kerstetter committed the crime or not, his daughter Wendy and the rest of his family are anxious to know if he is still alive:
Dale Kerstetter is 5’4″ tall and weighs 130 pounds. He has blue eyes, brown and grey hair and a receding hairline. Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season two with Robert Stack and in season six with Dennis Farina. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. Various seasons available now on Hulu. SUBMIT A TIP |
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KC
I can’t find my previous comment, I know it was awaiting moderation, but it has been a few days now.
Anyway, there is a lot to say that Dale was most likely not involved.
Seems like he was being walked at gunpoint and probably forced to help. My thought is that the intruder was an ex-employee that decided to get even.
They knew Dale would be there alone, and they knew Dale would be able to identify them even with the mask on.
From the bulk of that huge duffel bag, it’s probable that he forced Dale to get into the bag at gunpoint, saying he’d take him somewhere far away and release him unharmed if he cooperated.
That’s why there’s no evidence of blood or
shooting in the plant, and I think Dale would fight rather than go in the furnace. If he was dead, he’d be too heavy and time consuming for one person to get him in the furnace. And there would still be ashes and fragments after.
Finally, the fact that he never contacted his family, that he never turned up in relation to a job, bank account etc, and he was never spotted anywhere seems to usually indicate a person is deceased.
I hope the family find the answers to their questions, I can’t imagine how painful it would be to go your whole life without knowing.
KC
I for one do not believe Dale was involved. I believe the intruder knew Dale and knew Dale could identify him, mask or no. Because the intruder was obviously a former employee.
In the video, it is clear that the intruder is holding something to Dale’s back, which was most likely a gun.
I think Dale appeared calm because he knew the person and they reassured him they would not hurt him unless he resisted.
They said the video shows the intruder hauling a bag out on a trolley; that bag I’m sure contained Dale and the platinum.
If the exit was covered by camera, wouldn’t they have seen Dale if he walked out with the intruder?
I don’t think Dale went in the furnace; there would have been a fight even with a gun on him. There would’ve been some remains or evidence. I doubt very much the intruder could kill him, then single handedly put him in the furnace. Too heavy and time consuming.
Tell Dale at gunpoint to get in the bag; “I’ll wheel you out and you keep quiet and I’ll let you go.” Then kill Dale somewhere and dump him, drive away with the loot.
The management were so derogatory about Dale that I almost felt they might know more than they are saying, as if trying to put the focus on Dale to distract from something.
He never came back and as far as I know, his family never heard from him again. He had no real reason to run away, clearly he was close to his kids. When someone disappears without trace for decades, there’s pretty much one explanation.
Poor Dale, I hope someday he will be discovered and his family can have some peace.
Ryan B.
The plant had downsized, right? If this was an inside job, a laid-off employee could easily have been the masked intruder.
We can speculate all we like about whether or not Dale was involved but if he was, and has been stated multiple times below, he was probably double-crossed and killed by the masked man instead of having the profits of the theft shared with him. Very, very few people could walk away from the people they love with no further contact. It happens, yes, but *almost* never.
I want to give him the benefit of the doubt and say Dale wasn’t involved but, given the evidence, it could go either way.
Dr Strange
Firstly, the company he worked for are a bunch of so and so in the way they spoke about him. He worked for that company longer than some of those in management were even an afterthought. I do think he was murdered. I don’t think he had anything to do with what happened.
Jordan Bowman
Just watched this one for the first time as an adult.(I mighta watched it as a kid but don’t remember.). I get that there are some viable suscipicous things here but man that company did him dirty just in the way they talked about him and his character when he is not even there to defend himself. I hope one day we find out what happend.
Pat
I don’t think he did it either though.
Tony Smith
I don’t think he did it. The platinum was worth 500k. That’s not enough money to live on for a lifetime. And if he had an accomplice, it’s even less money. Also, he was in debt, but he didn’t pay off that debt.
I suspect the Corning official. He is callous and oozes corporate greed.
Christopher
In 2023 dollars that’s $1,335,224.47
Pat
Um, he was old…500k would be plenty. 20k would’ve been enough to live on for him.
Phil
He was only 50 lol. And even if it’s $500k of platinum he would’ve had to sell it for a serious discount on the black market, so say, $300k, split between him and an accomplice. So, maybe $150k to never see your kids or grandkids again? He was probably coerced to do it, possibly promised a cut, then murdered by the masked man.
Andy
This was such a scary story; I can’t imagine the feeling of boredom from sitting in an empty plant switching to fear from an unexpected intruder. Gives me itches and chills just thinking about it. I think Dale was a victim but there are parts of the scenario that confuse me. It is suggested that the second man on the video tape is leading Dale by gunpoint somewhere and I definitely agree that’s what it looks like. However, if Dale was killed inside the plant and then taken out in a bag, where was the killing done? People who get shot leave blood all over and nobody’s ever said that they found any inside the plant. I suppose Dale could have been strangled or had his neck broken, but strangling someone takes far longer than 48 seconds; it takes several minutes, and supposedly, the mystery man shows up on video 48 seconds later by himself.
Jon
Definitely was an inside job by a former employee, Dale was held hostage and more than likely killed and body never found. The robber knew the facility well. This is just my opinion based on the case.
Phil
Most likely. No way the man would disappear on his children and grandchildren willingly.
Patrick
Not sure I see this older pappy leaving his family completely behind and living on a beach by himself with money made from stolen platinum. And it’s a small piece but why make a bag lunch for the day when you knew you’d be leaving? And he left his smokes and keys in his truck. Now, he may have been bribed into it and then killed, that I could see. The masked man had to remove him. He was probably forced into a getaway vehicle and killed somewhere. Just my theory.
Scott
Why does the story say he began his shift at 11 P.M. when in fact he is shown on the video at 10:45 P.M. with the intruder in the since release actual footage? May not seem like a big deal, but would be nice to see more factual accuracy in the stories (this is just one example).
Pat
It’s not the real footage, it’s a recreation by UM.
Scott Shrout
A few things I’d mention in reply to some of the responses…
1.) To those that keep asking about them re-airing it, they’ve aired the segment a number of times – this is one of the older case profiled. While it is my understanding a number of tips were received early on, none of it was viable. The chance of solving it is unfortunately not very great because the only few people that know what happened (which in a remote PA town at this time of night likely was few to begin with) are either dead or not willing to talk. The best case scenario is a deathbed confession or some other admission of guilt at this point.
2.) I think it’s very likely that Dale knew the masked man. In a much more recent interview, his daughter Penney said she agreed with this (though she is unsure as to Dale’s involvement). It’s difficult to discern from the video what exactly transpired, but one could certainly fairly easily conclude Dale was at least initially a willing participant. The masked man entered the factory very shortly after Dale began his shift and there wasn’t really any sign of forced entry from what I understand. In the one area of video where Dale is seen, he almost appears to be giving the intruder a tour of the facility. Even if involved, it definitely doesn’t excuse the presumable murder that accompanied the theft. From what I have read, his children seem more resigned to the likelihood of his involvement than they did when the segment was initially aired.
3.) There is no evidence to support the claim that Dale was an “innocent victim” as it relates to the theft. I’m not supportive of the position that Corning or the supervisor took in the segment (which I found quite insensitive), but based on the actual evidence available at the time and since, their belief that Dale was involved in the crime is not a conclusion opposite that of what a reasonable person could conclude.
Lon
I believe he is involved.
Being in debit will not make you steal it will make you run.
And if you are leaving, go ahead and take whatever you want.
As a factory worker myself, if my employer took money from me after 28 years, I would not care about my job!!!!
Or costing the plant money,
eric
if he took the money and ran why didnt he ever come back like after the statute of limitations (after 10 years or 15 years or 20?! or just give his family a call from Australia (for example) and tell them he is ok and he is Sorry for leaving. he wasnt involved, he was killed. stupid theories out there
Tom
I believe if he was in on it his the masked man probably didn’t wanna split the money two ways or he didn’t want any possible loose ends so he probably ambushed him somewhere after the robbery and killed him. He probably never saw it coming.
Chanita Jackson
I think this was a inside job dale was a victim I don’t think he had anything to do with the platinum being stolen I really do believe he was murdered
Callam
Just watched this case for the first time on Prime video and came looking for more info I STRONGLY recomend you check out this blog post: https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum-2-the-mystery-deepens
Apparently about 30 years later the original CCTV was released as well as some more information about the evidence and to my mind kinda implicates the boss! On top of that there has deffinately been some police incompetence in this case, if not actual cover up! Please read, and I really hope this case airs again in the new series!
Tony Smith
I suspect the boss. He came across as a psychopath.
Phil
The one that called him a “marginal” worker? Lol, incredibly needless comment.
DJ
Does anyone know why the actual recorded surveillance footage from the factory wasn’t included in the episode segment? And how accurate was the reenactment? I have a feeling the victim, Dale, was killed the night of the robbery and his remains are probably disposed of somewhere in the plant. The robbery had to be an “inside job”. I was also a security guard in the private sector, and I know for a fact, whenever an incident of theft occurs, especially in a private company, the security guard is always blamed, not for coming the theft, but failure to prevent it.
Bill Blaski
The reply button doesn’t seem to work? Any idea when the Netflix show will be on? Merry Christmas to all the families still searching for answers.
Unsolved Mysteries Post author
Hi Bill – we are sorry about the technical difficulties. Can you please email us at unsolved@unsolved.com with more information so we can diagnose the issue?
Aenon
This case should be featured again on Unsolved Mysteries as well as Tara Calico and Christi Nichols new leads might be generated the families deserve a resolution
Autumn
I do not believe he was forced into the furnace, they weren’t being used for over a week near when Dale went missing.
Although Corning has shut down and nothing is there at the plant now, I hope Dale is found.
The platinum piping that was stolen was light enough to carry without the use of a cart or anything. In 2014, Dale Kerstetter was legally declared dead. I don’t know if any of the remaining family members still live around Bradford but I believe at least two are in New York now and close to Bradford.
I really hope this episode is aired again on the new Unsolved Mysteries.
Autumn
Please consider airing this episode again on the new Unsolved Mysteries! This one hit close to home!
Dean
The dead guy in Norway looks nothing like Dale…..plus Dale SMOKED Marlboro cigarettes
Bill Blaski
Unsolved; if you have any say on some of these old cases getting rebroadcast on the new show please add this one regarding Dale Kerstetter
Brian
oh wow….
Brian
A guy I work with used to work at the glass plant. He assumed that it was an inside job. There was a guy who worked there and he stole a lot of things from the plant.. His garage was full of items that were stolen from there. When he got nervous, he probably killed Dale because he was afraid of being turned in.
Crystaldawn
I recently wrote an in-depth article on Dale Kerstetter’s disappearance for my blog. I talked extensively with Dale’s daughter as well as his ex-wife and the Trooper interviewed on the segment. Here is the link if any of you are interested in reading. https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/dale-kerstetter-gone-platinum
Shawn
If Dale was shot at the plant there would have been blood and other body residue at the crime scene. So he must’ve either been take. Away from the plant and killed or must’ve been knocked unconscious and thrown into the glass furnace. I say this because if he wasn’t why didn’t the dog detect his scent away from the location he was supposedly heading towards or even towards the back of the plant? If he was knocked out and placed inside the bag supposedly containing the platinum metal the dog should have followed his scent toward the gunman’s awaiting vehicle. The feeling I get is that Dale was unaware of the crime unfolding before him and was an unfortunate victim of foul play. I say this solely for the fact that Dale foiled an “incident” at the plant previously where hot glass was dripping onto the tanks of a forklift. He prevented damage to the facility. That might have otherwise would have been covered by the plants insurance. Dale be directly or indirectly involved is the perfect alibi for the crime committed. Dead men telll no tales. RIP Dale.
Shawn
I would never want to image the suffering that his children had to endure. Hopefully his remains or what’s left of them, if any are found and he’s given a proper burial.
Bill Blaski
I believe Dale was double crossed and shot. I believe they placed his body in the bag and wheeled him out. I believe they would’ve drained the furnace and checked for bone fragments or human composition. Too much time has passed. I hope someone comes forward to help Dales family
Tom
I think he was double crossed as well, I think he was in on it but the masked man didn’t want to share or didn’t want any loose ends so he ambushed him either in the plant or somewhere in the wilderness near by.
Jen
*typo—Evelyn passed away in 94
Jen
His mother passed away in 2001, never knowing what happened to her son.
Denise
Based on what little we know, it’s possible he was approached by someone working with an organization overseas or even locally (United States) and to garner cooperation, he was promised money. Once he was no longer useful, he was smuggled out of the country and dropped in a remote area overseas where he could not be identified. It’s also possible he was approached by a former or current factory employee with the promise of a cut, and again, once Mr. Honest AKA Dale K. served their purpose, was killed somewhere between here and Norway, and dropped by the railroad tracks. The platinum was used for the production of something. If Dale was in on it, he may not have been aware of the statue of limitations on this particular crime, but I think it is unlikely. Of all the scenarios I can come up with, I think he has been dead for decades after being used to facilitate the successful procurement of the platinum.
Anonymous
Watch this, could this be Dale Kerstetter?
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=443653165985362&id=144695135881168
Anonymous
A little bit tbh
Jarvis
I believe tht dead guy is him look at the ears and nose…the dead guy looks like the missing guy from the plant…if not then he have a twin,but i will bet my money its dale…
Patrick
Excellent resemblance.
Scott
I’m sorry, but he looks nothing like Dale Kerstetter.
Anonymous
The eerie thing is, everyone is so calm. On the footage, Dale seems to strut, not walking tense or hightened emotionally (I’d be freaked). He was happy in his job as a Trade’s Worker, then he was transferred to a night watchman position with a $5-7k/yr paycut! I’d be PISSED. He possibly wanted revenge on his employer and planned all this. But, that would mean he’d never see his family again. Maybe the robbers were working for the people he owed $$$ to? Maybe he owed money to the wrong people? They might have killed him after they took the platinum, idk. This is an interesting case for sure.
Chris
You do realize that the surveillance footage shown in the segment is not the actual footage. Robert Stack’s narration states it was recreated for the segment. So you can’t go by anything seen in that footage.
Tony Smith
It was the mid 80s with a Reagan recession. People were getting FIRED. A pay cut was a blessing. He owed a car note and credit cards not a loan shark.
Anonymous
Unsolved Mysteries,
Just curious why you weren’t able to show the real footage on the show? You were able to for other cases. Can I assume it was because the investigators needed to review it themselves and couldn’t hand it over?
I ask because I’m surprised they wouldn’t let you broadcast the real tapes…Perhaps someone in the audience would have noticed Dale’s gestures on the video.
Scott
The actual tapes were not of high quality and it may have been difficult for viewers to follow the activity in them (it flips back from 3 different views every couple of seconds also). Also, I’m not sure the authorities would have allowed the actual tapes to be shown. They were not released publicly until 2019 as the result of a “freedom of information act” type request from the family. The footage is available online, but it is from a copy and it is really poor quality. You can see some activity (including Dale with the intruder for a very brief time), but difficult to make out much of what is happening. My understanding is that the original is of significantly better quality, but still not great.
I think UM did a fairly good job of re-enacting though some things seem to be off (like how in the actual video, Dale appears to the right of the intruder though in their re-enactment, he’s on the left). Also the view they show on the kiln where the platinum is located is not the same angle shown in the actual video.
Anonymous
PS: I forgot to mention, the person in question goes under the same first and last name initials. D.K.
AH
The statue of limitations is up, he can’t go to jail for it. Please alert your local authorities. Dale’s family has been longing hard to find the truth. He’d be in his late 70s today. You absolutely may have found this man. Please do anything necessary.
Anonymous
After seeing the show, my thought is that it is likely that he is totaly innocent . Very surprised that many are convinced he is guilty. Im my opinion there is no clear evidence of involment. Just because he walks with the masked could just mean he is not willing to risk his life for the corning company or an insurance company (what I would do myself). He looks right at the camera… as a taunt? thats crazy. If anything he is showing he knows the camera is there and if antthing indicates he is not involved
Anne Owrenn
An unidentified male was found dead on a Railway in Moss, Norway at september 1987. He looks like Dale Kerstetter. May Kerstetter have for some reason escaped to Norway? This man has never been identified og Norwegian authorities.
Damn Dale
He would be 80 years old today if he is alive might be an inside job
Markus
I think dale was found in norway, im not really sure click this link:http://www.tv2.no/nyheter/8989776/
In norway they made a documentary on a mysterious man that Like dale not long time ago, he was found 10 days after dale went missing
He was arround 167cm ( arround 5″4″)
Markus
I think dale was found in norway*
Arkana
Ok. No reply to wich kind of cigarettes he smoked….
I am asking, because there was found a man dead on the railtracks, in Norway, near a port; Just a little more than a week after Mr Kerstetter went missing.
It might just be a wild guess, and it is most certainly not the same person, but….
They appear to look quite similar and being around the same age of eachother.
Has Mr Kerstetter fled on a ship to europe? And from a port in northern Germany, caught another ship to Norway, buying himself some second hand clothes first?
And then unfortunately fell under a train and got killed?
It is a wild theory, but. The dead man in Norway, has not been identified! Just a short time ago, they managed to extract DNA from the dead guys belongings.
Thrity years has gone almost. Has the proper police authorities contacted eachother, just to exclude the possibility?
The case regarding the dead guy, “Kambomannen”, is featured on norwegian TV2, this spring.
Is there not a good deal of similarity, between the two?
http://www.tv2.no/nyheter/9023014/
A.H.
Wow. I read this article (in translation), the photo absolutely looks like it could be Dale, and they found cigarettes around there. No sightings of him since he went missing, and who in Norway would have known he was a missing man?
Unsolved.com, I think this is a solid lead. Is it possible to pass this tip onto the appropriate authorities?
Arkana
What type of cigarettes did he smoke?
Angie
This is so obvious to me. Dale had nothing to do with this and was killed the night of the crime. He was forced into the furnace.
Shawn
I would agree he was put into the furnace. Considering that the K-9 dog picked up his scent at that location. But I doubt he went in willingly. He was most likely killed buy the gunman and his remains were thrown in the furnace to destroy any evidence.
Scott
Wrong. There was no such furnace in operation at the time of the crime. You may be confusing this with the Dave Bocks case.
Dale was a willing participant in the initial theft, but was likely murdered after giving the intruder access to the resource.
Angie
This is so obvious to me. Whoever came in to rob the place of platinum killed Dale. I believe he was forced into the furnace.
Ray
Exactly what i was thinking. Guessing me maybe told someone about the platinum and they made a plan to steal it and he was double crossed, or an employee wore a mask, got in there and he thought he would be okay if he cooperated and didn’t try to be a hero. At some point the robber just offed him and got rid go the body. If the furnace was big enough to take a body, it’s sadly the most logical thing for the thief to do. Wonder if they grabbed any ashes or did residue swabs of the furnace to test it. (If that type of testing is even possible)
Chanita
U People need To Stop Worring About That platinum and Focus On Trying To Find Dale The Man Was Brutally Murdered In Cold Blood! Why In The Hell Would He Do Something Like That? I Think All Of U Need To Get out There And Do Your Jobs And Stop Neglecting This Poor Man And Help His Family Learn The Truth!
Chanita
I Think Dale Was Abducted He Probably Was Taken At Gun Point I Don’t Think He Did It That Masked Man Might Have Been A Co worker That Told Dale To Steal The Glass pipe And Dale Might Have Been Murdered Afterwards!
Mr Cumfart
Dale died in 2008 in Belize as a wealthy man
Chanita
Why Would He Do Something Like That ? I Think Dale Was Murdered!
jon baptiste
Dale was probably involved and in contact with Penny. Birds of a feather.
Kenda's Sidekick
Did Live in Albuquerque report his suspicions to Unsolved Mysteries and local authorities? Was the D.K. who lived near him ever investigated? Also, the boss/manager sure was quick to throw suspicion Dale’s way. Was he thoroughly checked out? Could he and the unreported maintenance man have pulled the heist, taking Dale hostage because he recognized him.?
A.H.
I’ve always told myself…I hope he was in on it. Better if he wasn’t an innocent man killed.
Here’s why I think Dale was in on the robbery
-Obviously enough, there was a lot of money to be made and he was in debt. As for his family saying it wouldn’t be like him to run off, it happens more often than you think. His daughter Penny even said that all the kids moved across the country, so it’d be hard for him to find them. Also, the security videos suggest that Dale and the intruder planned this out. Just the way they walk in the camera’s view, and it looks as though the man is pretending to have a gun. Remember, the masked man was walking alone in the first video shot without a gun. Surely, he’d have it out, knowing security was around. Also, why would Dale’s keys be in the truck if he was abducted/murdered? I doubt the masked man would stage that himself. There were no signs of a struggle there. Dale also didn’t check in the headquarters, which was a duty every hour. Something tells me he was planning this all along.
LittleChicago
This is my great unlce actually. I remember growing up and having my grandma tell me this story.
Live in albuquerque
To A.H. all the above is true, the guy fits the discription to a tee. I doubt that the authorities are still interested in apprehending this fugitive. Platinum at the time of the robbery may have been worth 250,000 dollars. But if it were held onto for a couple of decades. In today’s market it is worth 3 times that. Also, if sold off little bits at a time, the smart thing to do. All it took was ingenuity, sitting tight, changing states, becoming “a normal citizen”, the guy got away with it.
Live in Albuquerque anonymous
I suspect that a neighbor fits the discription of this man. Age, height, demeanor, very secretive, has no friends, smokes excessively, elusive. I know that this can discribe just about anyone. He lives in a senior housing apartment. Sometimes goes away for two or three days at a time?
Jen
I wonder if this will ever be resolved. After all this time,no sightings or no contact with family….I would lean towards his being deceased.
Anonymous
I believe it likely he was involved in some capacity. It makes no difference what kind of a father he was or if he was an alcoholic. People involved in criminal activity can come from all walks of life, all intelligence levels and can have the most obscure of motivations. Dale would be almost 80 now and I could easily imagine a scenario where he fled to some Latin American country and lived out his days well off the grid and anybody’s radar screen.
charles
It makes no sense that Dale would not have contacted SOMEONE in his family if he were still alive, as the statute of limitations has long since run out for punishment for the crime. If he stole the platinum, flew to Australia and waited, well the wait is over. I think he is a victim one way or the other, perhaps he was supposed to assist or allow the theft and get a small cut of the profits, but the thieves found it easier to just kill him to guarantee his silence and keep all the money. He doesn’t appear to be a mastermind type person to initiate this kind of caper. If involved at all I think he was coerced to help with the promise of getting a cut and the in satisfaction of getting back at the company that screwed him and his fellow employees out of their salaries. I think he is dead. I think his body was thrown into the platinum processing furnance. Platinum melts at an incredibly high temperature, like 3500 degrees F. A melted mass of platinum would be quite higher even than this temperature, as it has to be fluid enough to work with, so any biological material in the melt would be completely, absolutely, and wholly consumed. Everything except the calcium phospate of the bones would be boiled into a gas and released to the atmosphere. The bones would be melted and the calcium would be intergrated into whatever other trace metals was in the melt. The phosphorus would either be boiled away or become a trace metal in the melt as well. There would be nothing to conclude that a living thing had existed from the metal, unless the entire batch was saved and tested using sophisticated instruments to determine any unexpected deviation from whatever the smelting was supposed to contain. This would be one of the best ways to dispose and hide a body. I think what is left of Dale resides in some landfill in some electronic equipment scrap device, long since buried or else in a thousand such devices using the recyled metals or someones’ catalytic converter.
Do Hong
I believe you are right. Everything points to him being pushed in the furnace and disposed off in that manner. I believe a familiar voice may have called his name and he confronted him. The masked man stated who he was and said we are going to steal the platinum, you are either with us or against us. Dale complied and assumed he would be let go with a little shut up money. The masked man and his cohorts, which I assume there were, used him as a scapegoat. Hence the reason we are debating the possible scenarios 30 years later.
Johnny
Shawn
You make a good point about the furnace. I guess the police didn’t find anything with Dale inside. They found things in the Bocks case. Must have been a nightmare Dale’s situation. He was a veteran of the plant. Could he have made a run for help or knew a place to hide in the labyrinth. Interesting to think but he probably was at gunpoint. There was probably a few other people at the plant. Maintenance or cleaning crew etc. It’s a difficult case to solve.
Shawn
It sounds like they killed him that day by putting him in the furnace since the dog tracked him to there and he is still missing
Johnny
My theory probably that Dale saw the masked man as he entered the plant. The masked man walked to the platinum pipe area to steal it and Dale confronted him. Another masked man out of sight walked from his hiding area and had Dale trapped at gunpoint. Dale had 27 years at the plant and would have known most of the workers. He has a family including 6 kids. Dale would have complied like many victims do to save their life. A few of the posters made some good points about Dale knowing the perpetrators through mannerisms or voice. The final scenario was Dale helping the men under duress and then being captured and later killed at another location. They were afraid Dale would identify them. I think Dale would have contacted his family if he was alive. Most likely, the perpetrators represented a former employee plus an inside man currently at the plant. I think they can solve this case although it has been cold for many years.
Tree
I believe him looking square into the camera was a mute, desperate plea for help. Corning using his debt as a way to show likelihood of guilt is ridiculous. 30 or 40k is nothing..he could easily file bankruptcy. And what about the fact that the masked person wheeled out something in a large bag? This unfortunate employee was murdered right there.
Anonymous
My thought is if he was looking into the camera to taunt them why not wave flip the camera off ect … Just looking to me dosent mean taunting in my opinion … And if he was involved and want to taunt them why act as tho he wasn’t involved ??
Ben Johnson
Clearly a victim. He was NOT a new employee, knew the value and wouldn’t know what to do with platinum. He was a security guard who didn’t give a s**t about anything but his comfortable schedule. Alcoholics don’t like change. And his stare/look directly into the securiry camera was was him knowing that police would see all of this and how he wished they could see him now. He was murdered.
Dayle Kerstetter
He was an abusive alcoholic.
penny kerstetter
you didn’t know him, abusive is not a word anyone that knew him would use. As such, kindly retract your erroneous statement.
A L
Are the photos from Norway your father?
kilmo
I don’t know about this one. I do not feel like he is involved, but who am I to say? He just seemed like a simple man, so not exactly a man that would not slip up at some point. Him returning to the robber is something victims do all the time.. they feel like if they do what they are told they have a better chance at getting out alive. The robbers most likely took him with them, just in case they ran into an issue leaving the plants location, they at least had a hostage that could buy them an escape. This most likely involves multiple people, so even though this is an older case… people just can’t help themselves and they end up telling their story to somebody. So hopefully some more information will come out at some point.
Mariah
Has he been found at all? This story capture me I lived in that town for a few years
Anonymous
I forgot to add in my previous comments that the plant was sold to another company not too long after the robbery and the new owners went out of business and shut the plant down.
thank you
William Mc cartney
Scott N.
William:
Your sayin that Corning killed Dale in order to steal its own platinum? Really? $250,000 is nothing to them strapped or not and his pension was part of a pension fund, not Cornings money. Crazy theory.
N. Carden:
The show clearly stated that the video was a recreated by them. It’s not the original.
william mc cartney
The company cut the wages drastically of all of its employees
Stripped the pensions of most of its loyal retired employees
Hired a new person to report the security guards check ins
Failed to properly train the new employee of the proper phone numbers
and actions to take on any emergency or unusual situation.
.i can not .believe a company that was in business as long as Corning Glass.could
or would accidently overlook the proper training of this individual.
I also believe that it was no accident that the company whithheld information that another employee was working in the plant on the same day and shift that the robbery occurred.
the company has another plant in the elmira ny..region that the company also has uranium stored in the plant and could have slipped the missing metal in to with out suppecion.over time. that would explane why the metal never appeared up fo sale.
even if the company .has never been been found guilty it should be held responsible and pay his wife and family for the loss of thier loved one because of the mistakes in training and withholding infomation from the invesitgators and the insurance company
OJ simpson was found not guilty but .had to pay his wifes familly and i believe this is
the same situation.
thank you
William Mc Cartney
a simuilar case.
.
.
william mc cartney butnthat does not alter
corning glass company appeared to be very financilly strapped to take away the pensions ffrom so many loyal employees over a very mimor mistake by the retired employees.
there was another employee working in the building that night of the robbery why was this imformation not disclosed to the police.
the employee the electrician on duty in the plant that night was never questioned by anyone about the robbery why because the company withheld this information and it appears the company may have staged the robbery for the insurance claim and moved the metal to there other plant easilly with out detection a very good friend of mine and disclosed this information to me recently before he passed away i believe this case should be reopened and corning glass should answer why they witheld this informationto the police. thank you brother of one of the employees please excuse my typing i am on a very bad computer that has seen its beter days ans that does not change the imformation i am disclosing
J M
Do you happen to know any other information about the electrician? Name or age of the employee?
n. carden
You can see clearly in the video that Dale and the masked man are not walking side by side—which is odd, but notice what the masked man’s right arm is doing. It is parallel to the floor and appears to me that Dale was walked at gunpoint. As far as knowing exactly where to get the platinum rods, Dale might have told him under duress, or the guy was a former or current employee (or relative/friend of an employee) of the plant and knew where it was located. If he was an employee, that might explain why he didn’t care if he went by the camera masked. Also, perhaps Dale recognized the voice and confronted the guy, so he decided to kill Dale. Why he would not just leave the body there behind equipment or something is a mystery though. With all the evidence, it would be hard to believe that this man was a partner in crime to the masked man. For another thing, watch the way the masked man walks before he is pushing Dale to walk out. He has a bounce that would indicate youth, at least low 30s and it would be unlikely that an older man with so many kids (Dale was 50 and looked it) would be chosen to pair up with him. I also believe that there are others who remained outside to wait for the stolen property and not be seen on the cameras. All they needed was one inside contact to pull this off. The show did not say if they checked backgrounds on the other employees or talked to them at all. What about outside security? Was there none? Was there any activity on any banks for Dale? When he looked in the camera face on he appeared to be saying “Help me!” If I were a family member or friend of the family, I would be upset with that manager who implyied that Dale was thumbing his nose (in the camera) and the plant by stealing from them. This case ought to be reopened to have some fresh eyes on it.
Anonymous
Yeah I always wondered if they reopen this case… Does anyone have this video. Seems like a mystery to find any of these original shows.
Nick
It seems to me that dale was probably murdered. They use is debt as a motive for him to be involved. The man disappear off the face of the earth. He didn’t settle his debt with the money. So that doesn’t hold water. Second is if he were involved he could have acted as if he were in fear for his life while he was in view of the cameras while actually letting the robbery take place. Then there would be no reason to disappear. Third is if he was involved why leave every possession he had that day there. I believe it was a employee or former employee that dale probably knew. So they had to kill him. They kidnapped him and killed him elsewhere so that the gunshot wouldn’t draw attention to what was taking place. One more point is who would completely disappear and leave their family and life behind for $125,000 in platinum? Assuming he would have got a even cut with the other guy if he was involved. All in all it just don’t make sense! And these morons are gonna accuse this poor guy of being a arrogant vengeful theif!
tom
can you show a photo of him at his age today
unsolved
Hi Tom – unfortunately we do not have access to an age progression. Perhaps someone will do one in the future.
Charmaine Little Burgett
I still wonder to this day if he is alive. I went to school with Wendy and cannot imagine what she and her family goes through.
Heather
So was he ever found?
unsolved
Unfortunately he is still missing.