Hollywood Legend’s Daughter And Her Husband Both Found Dead In Parked Running Car

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, that folks, did it Sunday, June twenty first, and a mystery after the daughter of one of the greatest directors in Hollywood history has been found dead under some very bizarre circumstances. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Yes, this episode that we are recording here on this Father's Day. Robes a her dad. I don't know if this the story would be a mystery, but when you add to the fact Robes, I say, one of the greatest. He might be regarded possibly as the greatest director ever. And we're talking about his daughter here has passed under some very weird circumstances.

00:00:41
Speaker 2: Yes, and it is remarkable when you see just what movies we're talking about that he directed and won Oscars for. And by the way, on this Father's Day, Happy Father's Day, baby.

00:00:51
Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you for just getting our day started. I had a little work to do. This is a story we've been keeping an eye on. The work never stops around here, it seems, but this was this is Robe. There's a hell of a story, a hell of a mystery, and it's sad, and we don't have all the answers just yet.

00:01:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, and there are actually you know, I was thinking about on this Father's Day two sons who are grieving their parents and grieving their father, and they're not sure why or how they died. This is one of the more bizarre scenarios I have ever seen where it's unclear how two people could die at the same time with no clear explanation. Right now, there are some theories, but there's no obvious answer how two people die at the same time with no visible injuries that we're aware of.

00:01:39
Speaker 1: And again, let's add to that, Robes. You said, how the two people die at the same time. These two were found. Yes, it is an elderly couple we're talking about, but they were found on the side of the road in their running car as they were on the way to an event in another state. They're essentially on a road trip rhabes. This is a wild story. But we are talking about ju Weiler Sheldon and her husband Willie Sheldon. Now these two been married for quite so time sometime, but Judith Weiler Sheldon is the daughter of legendary Hollywood director William Wyler. He is a legend. He has the most Oscar nominations for Best Director than anyone in history. Wow, that is above and ahead of guys by the name of Scorsese and Spielberg. This guy has three wins for Best Director. Robes, he is in some sort of If you take a poll of folks in Hollywood who is the greatest director ever his name, he might win that poll. This it's who we're talking about. We are talking about a woman and her husband who is a part of Hollywood legacy and legend. So this is why Robes the story most many people might not know her name initially, but we should say folks in the San Francisco community are very familiar.

00:03:00
Speaker 2: Yes, because her husband. Is it WILLI or Wiley Sheldon? I see, yeah, it might be Wiley Sheldon. But he was a prominent, prominent attorney there in the Bay area, and they were both regarded as and if you see any of the headlines, they're described as film patrons, which means they probably donate a lot of money to the arts and to the film industry there in the Bay area. And they were actually on their way in celebrating their passion the cinema. They were going to meet friends. It was an annual trip correct that they.

00:03:31
Speaker 1: All went takes.

00:03:32
Speaker 2: Yes, it was a Shakespeare festival in Oregon, and they were taking what was it a two and a half hour drive. They had dinner reservations, and when they didn't show up at the dinner reservations, their friends, I think there were two other couples got worried.

00:03:47
Speaker 1: So, yes, you can imagine. I think these are from our understanding. I didn't get the ages on the other couples, but folks who had been around and hanging out together for a while, and an elderly couples who had this trip. It's kind of cool. But they're eighty four and eighty that's remarkable and hitting the road like it was nothing to this is an annual drip. Yeah, that part of it sounds cool. Then yeah, they're very much active, so that was so that part of the story. That's not abnormal to hear an eighty four and eighty six year old hitting it for a road trip. Don't get me wrong. My grandparents maybe wouldn't have been doing that, but this was nothing new, So that part of the story isn't bizarre or mystery or they weren't capable of making the drive. No, this is something they always did.

00:04:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, and so they're driving and all of a sudden, they don't show up. They they call police, and yes, troopers found them parked on the side of I five. If you're familiar with the area. This is what is just so crazy. They're in a Jeep Compass. This is their vehicle. She was in the driver's seat, he was in the passenger seat. The car was running. This was near Redding, California. And they're both deceased. So there are a couple of things we know about the circumstances or the environment. This was a hot day. This was a red alert day. I think that's what they call it here in New York at least, but it temperatures had reached up to one hundred and nine degrees.

00:05:06
Speaker 1: That's crazy.

00:05:07
Speaker 2: And a friend told this to the New York Times. So it's unclear, like it's hard to imagine that an elderly couple would get into a vehicle that didn't have any AC But at the time, according to a friend, when troopers got to the vehicle, there was air blowing, but it wasn't air conditioned, so they didn't find any water or anything in the car that if the two potentially got overheated or were experiencing any heat related issues, that they would have had water or something in the car to cool their bodies down. But this is just a theory that the fan was blasting even possibly hot air rather than cold air. But they pulled over, they had the wherewithal their driving to pull over put the car in park. Did they have cell phones with them? They didn't have time to call anyone if they were feeling distressed. That makes no sense.

00:05:57
Speaker 1: That they both in some way had such a medical emergency at the same time that neither one could pick up a cell phone, but they could park the car right.

00:06:10
Speaker 2: How is that? That makes no sense? Look, I think anyone can understand someone having a heat related experience like episode, basically, especially at that age when you're more susceptible to that kind of thing. But then to be able to physically pull the car over to the side of the road, put it in park, and then not be able to pull out your cell phone and call nine one one or text the friends and saying we're in trouble, my husband's in trouble, I'm in trouble, nothing nada to no one.

00:06:39
Speaker 1: That, Like we said at the beginning ropes, this is a it's bizarre, like it just does not make sense. You have simultaneous medical issues that kill you both. Look, it has to be, it said Ropes. No, older folks don't have it right. They don't sweat as much. Right. Heat for elderly is obviously we know it's dang and can be deadly. Roads if you're driving down the street in the car on the road I five, by the way, for folks that are from d it's the one that cuts up the middle of California. It's not on the coast. You're not getting a breeze, you're not getting it's hot as hell. So this is the one that's landlocked, running right up through California. So roads, if you're on that road, it's one hundred degrees out of side, one hundred and five degrees outside. Your windows are down, you got the ac you got you got hot air blasting on your hot air all around road. You could see why in a short time you could have a medical problem.

00:07:35
Speaker 2: Sure, But then I would imagine that medical problem would would bring about a car accident where you veer off the road and you crash because you've now just either fainted or just become so just non responsive that your car. No, they were able to pull off the side of the road. So why couldn't they pick up their cell phone? And no one saw anything that was driving? Is this a busy interstate I five sounds like a massively bit Did no one see this couple? Did no one see anything that looked suspicious or strange? I have so many questions.

00:08:11
Speaker 1: And Robes they were This is in the middle of the day, right, so there's traffic, Yeah, there are people around. This is not an isolated No, it makes no sense Robes that they yes, if there was an accident.

00:08:26
Speaker 2: Correct, I would understand that.

00:08:28
Speaker 1: But I wrote I guess Robes one of them could have had an incident or but how do they at the same time have the same issue? Did they eat something, consume something previously maybe the same thing. Did they take the same medicine and had what in God's name and one couldn't help the other even if one had a medical issue.

00:08:46
Speaker 2: Correct, That's what I'm saying. To have the same exact experience at the same exact time, but still be able to get your car under control. And look, we're going to obviously be waiting for the autopsy that is going to be at shed some light on the situation. That is. I believe that's taken place, and we're waiting for the results. And certainly there's been no cause of death determined yet, certainly no cause of death released. But even their friends, especially the ones who were waiting for them, say, this is just shocking. I think everyone who knew them and love them has described a feeling of shock because this wasn't This isn't anything they were expecting. No one's talked about them having medical conditions or any issues. No one seemed concerned that this elderly couple was driving a couple of hours to meet friends. This seemed perfectly normal, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

00:09:37
Speaker 1: No water, right, no water, No liquids were found.

00:09:39
Speaker 2: No water, no liquids in the car.

00:09:43
Speaker 1: But a reminder, folks, in just a moment, stay here. You might know the name Wiler, maybe you do recognize it, but he is an og when it comes to directing in Hollywood. Will remind you of just how big a a deal and how big of a legacy her dad has, and remind you of the best picture wins he picked up in his career. Stay here, we continue here on this Father's Day, on this Sunday, June twenty first, the daughter of one of the greatest directors in Hollywood history has been found dead along with her elderly husband and very bizarre circumstances. Circumstances, excuse me that we have been discussing here. They were eighty four and eighty six years old. But Rose, Yes, that's an elderly daughter. Her dad died back in nineteen eighty one.

00:10:41
Speaker 2: My goodness.

00:10:42
Speaker 1: But roads you go back to the twenties and thirties and forties and fifties, this guy was everything in Hollywood the way we don't really understand because we don't see. We got Spielberg right right, we got Scorsese. We're used to seeing those names. This dude was that back then?

00:10:58
Speaker 2: Yes, and he actually you said he was the most nominated director in Oscar history for Best Director. He received twelve Oscar nominations. And compare that to you mentioned Scorsese. He has received ten nominations and Spielberg only received nine. We say, I know, I'm lobby. I tried to say that with yes a little sarcasm, But he's considered.

00:11:21
Speaker 1: We see those names and they're all time greats, and we put them up on this pedestal and maybe we don't remember Wyler's name because it was it was so long ago. But else he made one movie that's arguably the greatest movie ever made.

00:11:33
Speaker 2: Yes, and you've this is one of your favorites.

00:11:36
Speaker 1: Now you know what it has Charlton Heston been Her, right, we talked about nineteen fifty nine, and it's considered one of the greatest films ever made. This was Wyler's film. I'm not as familiar with the other two The Best Years of Our Lives and then Missus Miniver Miniver that was in forty two. That was his first one.

00:11:53
Speaker 2: Those were his three Oscars for Best Director, Missus Miniver nineteen forty two, Been Her fifty nine, and The Best Years of Our Lives forty six. Yeah, the only one I'm familiar with is ben Her, But obviously that's just a matter of our ages and not being around or those maybe not living on it. I been Her, maybe just because of the historical significance. It was something that we're all I don't know, I feel like all of us at some point watched that movie. I don't know why. Our kids certainly probably don't even know what Ben Hur is.

00:12:21
Speaker 1: Wow, that's fine.

00:12:21
Speaker 2: Just one more generation and they're like, what huh?

00:12:24
Speaker 1: And at least didn't know who he man was the other day and I got upset.

00:12:28
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, he did Weathering Heights in nineteen thirty nine.

00:12:31
Speaker 1: I was gonna ask if was that considered like an original or it's.

00:12:34
Speaker 2: An adaptation from a book? But yes, Weathering Heights.

00:12:37
Speaker 1: But I am but was this the first adaptation to make it to film. I know we've got the latest one. It seemed like they would have been a buddy.

00:12:43
Speaker 2: I don't know, but I wouldn't know that because that was in nineteen thirty nine, So for me, that sounds like the og. But who knows, because when did pictures start having sound and it was I would be willing to bet he had the original Weathering Heights, which is amazing. I have seen that in my lifetime. It's been a long long time because I love that book. I've seen every film made from it, and there have been a couple adaptations, including the recent one I just saw on a plane. I was crying my eyes out. Really. Oh, it's a gut a gut wrenching movie. It's about love, and it's about love that cannot be and love, Oh my god, it was always you know, it reminds me of Age of Innocence in a way. It's a similar theme. But it's just ah, that's so. Yes, he did Weathering Heights, the Letter, the Little Foxes, the Heiress, Roman Holiday. I have absolutely heard of. That was nineteen fifty three, A Friendly Persuasion. Oh and Funny Girl nineteen sixty eight Barbara Streisande. I saw that on a plane again recently. If you haven't seen that movie, I no, maybe when I was back and forth going to see Analyse, because that's the only time that we would maybe fly apart is if I'm going to see her or get her set up. So I did. Those are the two recent ones. And I saw Weathering Heights when you put Sabine up in first class with me and you sat in coach. So yes, those are the two times. But Funny Girl is a brilliant film that still is just so good. So and that's just to name a few.

00:14:10
Speaker 1: Uh yeah, and Rose it's well, we'll find we'll get the answers she has. And we don't know much about her life really world. We know her name, we know her dad's legacy, but finding out and reading up about them now I'm learning just how active they continue to be and how her love for film, love for silent film, even because of her dad, drove her to be as involved in the community as she was there in San Francisco. So it's kind of cool to see that she carried on her dad's legacy in some way, or at least the love he gave her, without necessarily having to be in Hollywood herself or be a director herself. So this is just it's tough, it's sad, it's it's mysterious, and we hold out, I mean, we hope nothing. There's nothing there suggesting they will foul play of any kind. Here, there's just a mystery, and.

00:14:59
Speaker 2: It's just it's sad. I'm sure their sons are so confusing and wanting some answers. And yeah, it's cool to read up about someone or this couple and what they've done and the contributions they've made. And i'dn't even realize Judith Sheldon at one point went by Judy Weiler and actually had some acting credits to her name. She followed in her mom's footsteps and went on to act in the BBC Sunday Night Theater, the Errol Flynn Theater and the Buccaneers, so she had a couple credits or her name is. It's pretty cool. But look, it sounds like they really did give back. They really did love the performing arts and literally we're driving to go and support more theater when they mysteriously died. And yes, hopefully we will get some answers soon with those autopsy reports, but we always appreciate you listening to us. Everyone. I'm Amy Roboch alongside one of my favorite fathers, T J. Holmes. I only have one other one. His name is Mike Roboch. There's just two of you, babe. And with that, everyone, thank you. We hope you have a wonderful Father's Day. M h

00:16:07
Speaker 1: M hm