>> they said, "my god, there was blood everywhere." and, well, no. there wasn't. the german police didn't see any blood. the german doctor didn't see any blood. the american military didn't see any blood. why didn't they see any blood? and if you saw all this blood, why didn't you say something at the time to someone? >> reporter: he is certain elizabeth ratliff died of a stroke. as for how his wife, kathleen, died years later, michael can't say for sure. but he thinks his first instinct was the right one. >> i guess maybe i'm the last person to believe it. i think she fell down the stairs. i don't know. >> reporter: michael believes alcohol must have played a role in her fall, and even though her blood alcohol levels weren't off the charts, he says, there may have been another contributing factor. a few months before her death, she'd suffered an injury diving into their swimming pool. and her doctor put her on several prescription meds. >> do you remember her being wobbly in the weeks that followed?