Vanishing Act: A Crashed Airliner, Faked Death, and Backroom Abortions

Over a span of 39 years, 25 aliases, 28 arrests in 20 cities, and nearly a dozen imprisonments, Robert Spears lived a con artist's life of unparalleled adventure and intrigue. But that is far from the end of his story.
Shortly before Thanksgiving Day in 1959, a plane exploded in mid—air, killing all forty—two passengers and crew and leaving scattered debris and bodies across the otherwise tranquil Gulf waters. Listed on the manifest was Dr. Robert Spears—once the highly regarded president of...