How ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ Led to the Arrest of a Notorious Killer and His Teenage Girlfriend

Over the course of its multi-decade, historic run, Unsolved Mysteries was responsible for helping to solve some of the most notorious cold cases in America. These are examined in the new documentary Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy, which was released today.

"These fugitives think, 'Oh, I’m never going to get caught,' and then it’s knock, knock, knock on the door," Unsolved Mysteries co-creator Terry Dunn Meurer told The Messenger ahead of the documentary's release.

Perhaps one of the most notable cases featured on the series was that of Jerry Wayne Strickland and his teenage girlfriend, Melissa "Missy" Munday. Their story was featured in a 1988 episode of Unsolved Mysteries titled "Badlands." Strickland, 26, and Munday, 17, were accused of killing a man outside Detroit in 1987 and then going on the run.

As Unsolved Mysteries co-creator John Cosgrove explained in the documentary, "We wanted to tell this story to try and recover Missy Munday because she was in harm's way."

Once their story was aired, Cosgrove said tips started flying in fast and furious from viewers who recognized the couple. Within seven hours, Strickland and Munday were arrested at a friend's house in Moses Lake, Washington.

As Cosgrove further explained, they were ready to be taken into custody.

"When the police showed up, [Jerry] said, 'You must be from Unsolved Mysteries,'" Cosgrove revealed. "They’d been watching Unsolved Mysteries and their own story and sat there and waited for the police to come."

Strickland even enjoyed the attention, according to Cosgrove.

"They put the cuffs on him and were about to push his head down so he could go in the police car," Cosgrove continued, "and he said, 'That’s my favorite show, Unsolved Mysteries!'"

Strickland eventually was convicted on charges of murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery and received two consecutive life sentences without parole. He remains incarcerated at the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer, Michigan.

Meanwhile, Munday turned on Strickland and submitted evidence to the state against him.

In exchange for her testimony, the murder and kidnapping charges against Munday were dropped. She served seven months in a juvenile home for armed robbery and was released upon turning 19.

Unsolved Mysteries co-creator Terry Dunn Meurer said solving the Strickland and Munday case was particularly rewarding, given the circumstances of how they were caught.

"Of course it made us laugh," Meurer exclusively told The Messenger, "but we were very happy that he was captured."

In essence, arrests like Strickland and Munday's proved that Unsolved Mysteries was doing its job.

"The goal of the series has always been to solve these cases," Meurer said. "We would be so excited when we heard that a case got solved."

Unsolved Mysteries had international reach, too. Meurer recalled one particular case that led to an arrest in American Samoa.

"Those were really satisfying, and surprising that someone was found that far away, and that there was a viewer that recognized that," Meurer said.

Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy is currently available to stream for free on Amazon Freevee, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus and the FilmRise streaming app.