Whatever Happened to Bambi Woods

By Charlie Imus

I would like to start out by saying that I am probably not the first person to know or figure out "Bambi Woods" real name, or that she is in fact alive and not dead from a rumored drug overdose in 1986. Her family and friends know about her previous life.  I'm sure that some men and women that she dated or met along the way  have probably discovered her secret. I figured I would be fair to these people and concede that her identity isn't a mystery to everyone.

Bambi made a valiant effort to conceal her identity through the years and breaking her cover has been no easy feat. I did the majority of this investigative work on my own. I spent many sleepless nights working on this, reading and re-reading all the available information - much of which proved to be incorrect rumors. It became an obsession for me to discover her true identity and current whereabouts.

At one point I intended to sell the information to The National Inquirer, but The Senior Editor and I were unable to come to a mutual agreement financially. Working with him, however, did help to verify that this is a worthwhile story that deserves to be told. It also gave me  proof that I was right about my independent findings!

I undertook this project in fun more than anything else. I never thought I would actually figure out "Bambi's" real name and personal information. I certainly never thought that I would be turning down an offer from The National Enquirer to reveal her secrets.

It was Bambi's "interview" in 2007 with an online forum at Yesbutnobutyes.com that triggered my resolve to solve this case. It was loaded with hints and teasers in the comments of the forum by someone claiming to be Bambi Woods daughter as well as someone calling herself  "Colleen," who I strongly feel was Bambi Woods herself. In my opinion the interview was a hoax of epic proportions as I explain in detail in the story.

I also placed phone calls and sent e-mails to Private Detective Danno Hanks who was personally hired to try to find her in the 2005 "Dark Side Of Porn" documentary. Despite his best efforts he could not figure out her name at the time but more information has been publicly leaked since then which i was able to uncover.

While I address "Bambi's" former career, I don't feel it necessary to make this story about a former, famous adult film star loaded with graphic details and sexual overtones. I think you'll find it interesting how I figured out her first name, middle name, maiden name, married name, her email address, her siblings names, her children's names, and other information. I was also able to obtain her current address and phone number - thanks to some help from my friend who I will call "the closer".

This gentleman verified what I already knew and gave me some additional very hard-to-find information that helped me cross the finish line. You'll see as this story unfolds that our interactions were at times humorous and sometimes stressful, as I had to trust someone with my incomplete collection of information in order to get the full story.

Technology caught up with Bambi and most of my investigative work was done while I was sitting at my computer and talking or texting on my phone. It almost seems as though she was begging to get discovered by some nosy guy with a lot of spare time on his hands!

I grew up in the eighties and early nineties watching 1970's and 1980's XXX movies including Debbie Does Dallas parts One, Two, and Three. My interest in this case truly started to build around 2007 when the very questionable interview in Yesbutnobutyes.com's forum came out.

Between that so-called interview and the 2005  "Dark Side of Porn" documentary on Debbie Does Dallas, it stirred the pot enough to put the one or two necessary clues out there for me to solve the case of Bambi Woods. After several years of research, being able to solve this mystery has brought me great satisfaction.

I hope those of you who read this story will find it enjoyable and worthwhile. I'm certain that many curious people will appreciate the answers provided to 30 years of unanswered questions. It has been a mystery over several decades that's had thousands of us wondering "Whatever happened to Bambi Woods. . ."

So who is Bambi Woods?  I don't claim to know everything about this woman because so much about her is still an enigma. However, after gathering all the information available I am certain of a few things. She was born in August of 1960. She grew up in the New York City area in an upper middle class family and attended Our Lady Of Mercy Academy, an exclusive all-girls school in Syosset, Long island. Although she is listed as being a graduate of this school, I do not have visual proof as yearbooks are not viewable online and are very hard to obtain.

She has three brothers (one deceased), and a sister. Her dad passed away June 1985 and her mother died in March 2009. She was widowed in 1997 and currently she has a 29-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old son. Contrary to many rumors circulating on the internet, her birth name is not Debbie DeSanto, Barbara Woodson, or Esther Morrison. The only letter "D" I found was in her middle name - and no, it's not Debbie. 

               Around 1978 when Bambi entered the world of porn, it was considered The Golden age of the adult business. The movies had real scripts whether they were serious or silly,  and these films were viewed in theaters. The actors and actresses were perfectly imperfect, and most of them free of breast augmentation and other forms of plastic surgery. AIDS had not yet become well known and rampant, so that deadly disease was not a consideration when working with multiple sex partners. It was before the invention of Viagra, (which explains why you always saw the same few sleazy guys in all the movies with these pretty women), and record-keeping of names and ages was not as strict as it is today. This is why it was so hard to figure out her name which, though not entirely unknown, by all accounts was a closely guarded secret even at the time. This leads me to believe that Bambi was never exactly proud of her "career choice."

               While alot of the adult actors and actresses in the adult business enjoyed the sexual aspect of the job and made long careers of it, there were also some who performed only for the money and had short careers. I tend to put Bambi Woods in the latter category. She had sex scenes in three films between 1978-1985 (Debbie Does Dallas 1-3) and had film credits in Swedish Erotica 12. She actually quit filming scenes or loops a couple years before 1985 from what I understand.

               These loops were later released in her last two movies. Bambi probably never planned on becoming one of the most famous porn stars of all time. In a rare interview in 1979 that took place in a gentleman's club she stated that she did Debbie Does Dallas for the money because she owed someone a debt. (This is available in the Midnight Blues series, and you can see her dance as well.) From here the sex industry probably became a means of  making fast money to survive and support a drug habit. Most likely she just got caught up in the lifestyle of making adult movies, stripping, sex, drugs, and living for the moment - not necessarily in that order. She appeared to be high on something in her films and during her interview, but its hard to say what came first, the chicken or the egg. I am sure she was not the only one, if that was the case.

               Had she been in the right state of mind and thought about things a little more clearly she may have made different choices. Like the pain and possible embarrassment it could one day cause her family, especially her parents and future children, who might one day discover her secret past. She probably didn't realize how her personal feelings on the matter would change as she got older and looked back on it, and how shame would force her to move frequently, and go by various pseudonyms. She probably never realized that technology would one day enable a curious guy like me to be able to discover her whereabouts. Hindsight is always 20/20 and I am positive that if she knew the future I would not be writing this story, nor would Bambi Woods be a familiar name to many people.

               So what happened to Bambi Woods around 1985 that made her leave the adult business for good and likely plant the false rumor - which appeared in an article in The Age - that she died of a drug overdose in 1986? First of all, it was around the time her father died, as I mentioned earlier. Secondly, she became pregnant with her daughter and may have wanted to do right by her unborn child. Her marriage to an ex-cop may have played a role in her decision as well but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself just yet.

Bambi Woods, Part II

So what did Bambi get  paid to do her first ever adult movie? Though she had initially been promised a fee of a thousand dollars a day, it was said that she was eventually only offered three hundred and fifty dollars a day. If you ask me, even back then that was only a little bit of cash for a lot of performance and profit! Royalties? This was back in the seventies, and she probably never thought the movie would become so famous or that people she knew would find out and see all her naughty bits on the big screen. It was all about the money and living for today. Just like Linda Lovelace never got rich off of the adult film Deepthroat, Bambi Woods never got rich from her role in Debbie Does Dallas. It has been reported that at one point Debbie Does Dallas was making over $250,000 per week/ per screen in the theaters.  This isn't hard to believe, given the movie's wide-spread popularity. I am sure her thrill over becoming so famous was very short lived. 

               The only adult actress that I know of who was smart enough to ask for royalties during the 70's was Marilyn Chambers. She famously appeared in the 1972 hardcore film Behind The Green Door. It was written and directed by the late, infamous adult film pioneers Jim and Artie Mitchell. She reportedly got $25,000 for her role, plus 1% of the film's gross profit. Not bad considering the movie has grossed approximately 60 million dollars to date - but that's a whole different book and story. Ms. Chambers passed away in April of 2009 at the age of 56. 

               To this day people are still making millions off of Debbie Does Dallas.  It has been said to have generated a billion dollars in revenue since its 1978 release. I cannot name a Hollywood movie that has done that well. This is especially surprising considering it was a small budget film. Yet the popular actress who was primarily responsible for the movie's success earned only a few hundred dollars for her role. One would hope some person who has greatly profited from her work sent her a sizable check at some point over the years - not that I hold out much hope for that theory.

               It is understandable that Bambi eventually wanted a normal life and to just slip away into obscurity - and that desire for anonymity probably only increased over time. I may have done the same thing if I were in her place, and am certain I'm not alone in that sentiment. She may wish the whole world would just forget her participation in those movies, but unfortunately this is highly unlikely. If she had not stayed below the radar as she did, it is highly doubtful that others would be as obsessed with her identity and whereabouts 20 plus years later and even argueing on forums- I personally would not be.

               It appears that people of questionable character may have taken advantage of her good nature and the fact that she was still young, and a little naive. At best, it seems she was easily manipulated by older, more world-wise people around her. I don't believe this indicates she was "stupid," but was perhaps confused and easily led astray. If she did have a drug habit, this may have also contributed to her propensity to make poor choices. People who claim to have known her say she was a sweet person who was easily taken advantage of.

               Different rumors surrounding her "death" and/or disappearance include (but are not limited to) the famous one that she died of a heroine overdose around 1986. This was not so unbelievable to some who claim to have known her. She was strongly rumored to have dabbled in Heroine along with Marijuana and Cocaine. I am left to wonder who released that statement as a fact, and why? If she was not the one to falsely plant this rumor, she sure did not ever say or do anything to dispel this myth!

               Another rumor claims she made a bestiality video called "Debbie Does Farmland" in which a horse caused her internal damage and ultimately death. I wondered for a while if there was an unreleased movie of her engaging in acts of bestiality and perhaps the shame of that caused her to want to disappear. As of this writing, I refuse to even entertain such a sick notion, as I have uncovered no evidence whatsoever of it being true. If such a sought-after porn star did, indeed, star in such a movie, why in the world would the producers not choose to release it to the public? I would imagine the shame of even being associated with a false rumor like that would have made her want to disappear.

               One interesting story I've come across is that the F.B.I has her in their witness protection program. This in theory may have some plausibility. The way she's moved around  and has been so inaccessible, offers that theory some credibility. Who knows what she may have been caught up in back in those days? We can be quite certain she came in contact with people who were of questionable character. Did this lead to her involvement in, or knowledge of  illegal activities? Due to the fact that her name is not wiped out of public reach, I have to say this is not true and she most likely hid in plain sight behind her birth name and married last name.

               Some claim that the mob got to Bambi and had her killed.  I know she is still alive so I can assure you this is not true. However, the mob is believed to have been involved in the financial backing of Debbie Does Dallas and other adult movies during those days, so we can see how such a rumor may have been generated.

               I know that Bambi is still alive and has two children. It is most likely that she just wanted out of the lifestyle and was concerned about the recent passing of her father and the effect of her career choices on her unborn daughter. In other words, she was growing up, and regretted her youthful decisions. The story has been circulated that she may have had problems with the IRS. She married the father of her first child at some point (I am only speculating he is the father because her daughter took on his last name), and probably jumped around from job to job in the New York City area.

               Pictures of her daughter demonstrate that she looks like her mom, with similar features and physical attributes that her mother had around the same age (but hey - who's looking?)  She presently claims to be bisexual and it is certain that she knows about her mother's former career. She works in an adult video store and lives in a different state than her mother. She also does some modeling in BDSM fetish clothes. It's uncertain what sort of relationship they have, or why her mother is not among her online "Friends". This may, or may not, be a calculated move intended to keep Bambi out of the limelight. 

               Ms. Woods also has a half Asian son who was born around 1993, and as of this writing is about three years out of high school. His online profiles directly contributed to my ability to close this case. He would have been around four years of age when she was widowed, as my research indicates that her husband died in 1997. For some reason, her son took her married last name. It's uncertain whether or not this son is aware of his mother's former career.

               I suspect this son was either adopted or the product of another relationship - perhaps an affair. Currently I don't know what the true situation is. In any case, I will refer to him as her son, as my research indicates that is probably true. These facts are not especially important to this particular story.

It is likely Bambi had a relationship with the boy's father, as his father lives not far from them and runs an auto body shop. This young man is also very much involved with cars. Whatever the situation is I am sure she loves her son.

               Like most addicts, Bambi may have struggled to stay clean from drugs, even after her daughter was born. She used a few aliases, and under the various people search engines she had a couple different names listed. She may have maintained her anonymity by changing her hair color and hairstyles over the years. She got a pixie type cut and was almost unrecognizable even back in 1979. She was said to claim she would go to her own movies and stand by her poster and not even be recognized by her fans, and that was thirty plus years ago!

               Her voice and face still make her somewhat recognizable, and she probably has not had any type of cosmetic surgery to change her face - as many people tend to speculate. After giving birth to a child or two, it probably just become easier to blend in and not be recognized as the years passed by. She is just your everyday mom. If one saw her at the grocery store or in public, it is highly doubtful she would immediately be recognized, especially if the person had no idea as to what her true identity is in the first place.

               As the years passed, Bambi slowly buried her old life, and began a new one. Sure, some people still knew her and that she was alive. Some must have helped her along the way - I believe she may have received help from her siblings. It was no small feat for such a recognizable person to have successfully moved around and stayed below the radar. I am impressed by the amount of  perseverance it must have required.

               My research leads me to believe Ms. Woods left the state of New York in the late 1990's and moved to the state of New Jersey. Here she moved around to a few different places until I found her present location where she is hiding in plain sight. I do not know if she is planning on moving again since she has been discovered. Given her track record, it would not surprise me - nor could I honestly blame her.

               This is why I say that much about Bambi is still an enigma. There are many questions that have yet to be answered. What has she been doing for the last twenty years? Is she in good health, with a stable state of mind? How many people have recognized her over the years? Has she ever profited from her successful movies?  Does she stay in touch with any of her former cast?

               These questions may still never be answered - but I have gleaned enough information over the past few years to provide answers about Bambi Woods that, until now, eluded many!

Bambi Woods, Part III

This first started on the Yesbutnobutyes.com's forum on May 21, 2007 in a prologue, and ended May 24, 2007. A man with the name of Scaramouch claimed to have been contacted by Bambi. He claimed  she would not provide a recent photo of herself, and admitted that his story was uncorroborated.

               Viewers immediately started posting comments, and this continued until October, 2010. Some were believers. Others were doubtful, but entertained by it. Some asked questions.  A few people posted memories they had of her, and claimed to know her name. Many pointed out the fact that much of the information revealed could be found on the internet. Others outright did not believe it and pointed out the many contradictions as well as the British and non-American slang that this person used. Scaramouch claimed to have other information he could not release that led him to believe it was Bambi who had contacted him.

               I initially believed it might really be her, and that she was purposely misdirecting people. She claimed to be living in California, and married to a software developer, among other things. This person's answers were kind of vague. I read and reread this online "interview" (along with every thing else online about Bambi Woods) on and off for three years, eventually concluding that Bambi Woods had not contacted Scaramouch.

               I first believed Scaramouch's claims might be credible because at the end of the forum discussion the person claiming to be Bambi Woods offered an audio interview if someone would donate a sizeable amount of money to charity. No one ever took the person up on this offer - and frankly I am surprised. It would have proven or dis-proven the interview as either real, or false. If Bambi did not show up, no one would have had to pay a dime! I'm amazed that Rolling Stone Magazine, Hustler, or Playboy were not all over this!

               I read this interview regularly and looked for new comments or clues. My first significant clue came  in a comment posted on December 17, 2008 at 3:24 a.m. by a person calling herself  Bambi's daughter. It is listed in the comment forum after part one of this questionable online interview.

               This comment reads as follows: " I just want everyone to know this is all lies. I know who Bambi Woods is. She's my mom, and she wouldn't ever interview online with some no name online zine. When she comes clean it will be with a book...whoever is pretending to be her needs to get a life. Seriously."

               My gut instinct made me instantly believe this posting was authentic.  This person never again commented on the forum, at least not under that name. I was personally convinced that Bambi was alive - I would have nearly bet my life on it. I felt this comment hit very close to home but it still did not give me enough information to discover Bambi's whereabouts - but it definitely rekindled my interest!

               I once again started reading everything I could about Bambi Woods. Wikipedia, bio pages, rumors, timelines, and other unverified and questionable information. I also watched the rare interview of her in 1979 on Youtube. The common thought was that she was born in 1955 or 1959, with the latter being closer to the truth.

               The only information I believed to be true up to this point was listed on the biography section of her fan club page. It said that she went to an All girls school in Long Island and that she ran away in 1975 at age 16 and got married.  It also made me realize that she probably was not 54 as was commonly believed but closer to 50 years of age if this was in fact true.  I realized that she was most likely born closer to 1959 and not 1955. This would later prove helpful in locating her.

               I will note that in later research I found out that I was a year off and she was actually born in August of 1960, making her only eighteen years of age when Debbie Does Dallas was released in December of 1978. This of course begs the question how old she may have been when DDD was filmed, which is unclear to me at this time due to the fact that there is not an actual production date listed for this movie. This would have also placed her at the age of fourteen or fifteen if she did, in fact, runaway in 1975. If she was under age during the filming of this movie it could cause quite the scandal comparable to Tracie Lords. It was strongly rumored that some of the other actresses in the film were underage so it would not be so unbelievable that Debbie may have been underage. If she was of legal age it was not by much. I will also note that during this time Bambi appeared in the October 1978 edition of Hustler magazine in a guy girl photo shoot, appearing in make up and looking much older. Assuming she was of legal age for the photo shoot, she certainly was up and running shortly after her 18th birthday. This issue of Hustler came out to the public before Debbie Does Dallas was released in December 1978.

Around late November, 2010 I realized I had not read this interview for a while so I revisited it on a whim. I was really glad I did. I went through the four pages and read some updated feedback. A couple more people offered their stories on how they knew her when they were younger. Many people declared the interviewer was duped, and a few sounded angry.Then I went back to the prologue page, which gave me my next clue. A person calling themself Colleen posted three comments. Here are those comments: 
"This is very strange - this interview is fake. You don't have to know her to know that this is a complete fake. But, anyways, Bambi is alive. Her name starts with a C..."

"She had a really difficult time during and after the DDD movies. I know her father died in like 1985, and that was really hard on her.

               "This interview is all wrong:  "Bambi" had only one kid, so her "kids"couldn't      have played w/ Desiree's; she did run away; etc.

               "This is seriously a joke."  Colleen -September 18, 2010 11:24 p.m.

This was in response to some of the things that the person claiming to be Bambi Woods said in the interview. Now I know the son is not mentioned, but I think that might have been on purpose for some unknown reason, because she does have a son - though I still don't know the back story on him. If it really was just someone who knew her along time ago they may not have known about this offspring.

Scaramouch responded about thirteen hours later: "Colleen, every word in the interview is true, as far as I know. Until another Bambi steps forward and proves herself with more concrete evidence, I stand by the story 100%." Scaramouch - September 19, 2010 12:44 p.m.

Colleen responded back seven hours later with a second comment:

"I am sure you are under the impression it is true - but I am coming from the perspective of someone who knew her, so I am 100% positive it's not true. I am impressed with the candor and realistic terseness of whoever made up this interview - but what they say is untrue. She was never in Australia or married to a software developer - she was married to an ex-cop." -  Colleen September 19, 2010 7:50 p.m

               Then came the third and final comment.

"I actually believe everyone on here who says they knew/know her is telling the truth (except for that Belgium one-huh?)"

I am impressed by how people have not given up her true identity. I just tried googling her birth name (initials CM) and nothing came up. I tried googling her married name (CH) and very little was revealed.

"And if you cannot trust an anonymous person who claims to have known her, which is normal and fine for you to do that, then you equally cannot trust an anonymous person who emails you claiming to be her."  - Colleen September 22, 2010 11:08 a.m.

               I was already suspicious at this point before I even read the third comment. It seemed to me that this person was speaking first hand, but in the third person. This person seemed to know a lot. I suspected that Scaramouch may have known what was going on as well, along with a couple other people.

               After reading all this I highly suspected her name was Colleen. I had suspected this, but these posts gave me further reason to believe it. Based on these comments. I also thought it might be easier to find her married name than her maiden name, and if I could figure it out I could uncover more information by using Google. I thought it likely that she lived in New York but I could not rule out any neighboring states. 

So where was I to take things from here?  I went back to the drawing board and started the usual routine with my notebook in front of me. Little did I know what would be in store for me within the next week! I went to all the people search sites and got whatever free information I could find. I was proceeding on the strong notion that her last name would start with an H. I would type in Colleen Ha, because A was the first letter in the alphabet. I was also searching for an M in the middle, or seeing if a woman with the name Colleen H. between the ages of 50-54 lived in New York. I did this for three nights and wrote down all the various names that I thought might be a lead.

The only person I thought might truly be Bambi was a woman who lived in New Jersey but had moved to Philadelphia, PA within the last few years. I thought maybe the information was just not updated. I also thought maybe she had moved, since a documentary about the movie DDD from The Dark Side Of Porn came out in 2005. The time line between this documentary and this person moving was pretty close. But after discovering this woman's picture in an online profile, I determined it was a dead end. 

               I had became aware of this documentary fairly recently. It was produced by a man named Francis Hanley. In my opinion it was far from a complete work. Many of the lengthy reviews I read before-hand were not very flattering, but I decided to watch it anyway. After viewing it myself I could not help but agree with these assessments. The film was somewhat interesting and even humorous at times, despite the fact that I felt it could have been a lot better. (Frankly, the fact that some British people in the U.K were doing  a documentary on something as American as DDD seemed rather strange to me.)

               The producers located a few of the actors in the DDD film who agreed to participate - just one of the women, and a few of the men.  The other women who were still alive declined participation. If I were a middle-aged woman with a husband and kids living a normal suburban life, I would not want everyone to know I was a former porn star either. Arcadia Lake, one of the other well-known actresses who starred in the film, allegedly died of a drug overdose on September 13, 1990.

               Like others who had previously attempted to locate Bambi Woods, the producers of The Dark Side of Porn were unsuccessful in their efforts to find her. Instead, they showed some archive footage of her. They primarily danced around the subject without offering their viewers any real answers. Considering that she was a major part of the draw to watch this documentary, one would think it wouldn't have been released until or unless they managed a completed, and successful, investigation. After watching it, I felt somewhat cheated.

Producers of The Dark Side of Porn spoke to distributor Bob Burge, as well as to a private investigator by the name of Danno Hanks. Mr. Hanks was a well-qualified private investigator who was hired to find Bambi Woods. Despite his lengthy credentials and long experience in the field, at that time he could not find her name or location. I'm sure that during that time others would have failed as well. I later contacted Mr. Hanks on the phone, and once by email, after I cracked the case - but I have chosen to keep the contents of those conversations out of this story.

Mr. Burge talked about how he had hired a private investigator at one point to find Bambi Woods to take part in another movie, but only got as far as talking to her mother and stepfather on the phone. He stated that he left it at that and did feel the need not go any further, and that he felt she was probably living a private life in happiness somewhere and wanted it to stay that way. I strongly suspect he gave the false name of Debbie Desanto to the producers of the documentary on purpose.

               Rumors involving the mob and FBI were also circulating. Those involved in the documentary even talked to former FBI agent Bill Kelly, who used to work undercover sting operations to bust porn producers. He gave unique insights that only an FBI agent could. Some of  it pretty obscene stuff I do not feel necessary to print in this story.

               While The Dark Side of Porn  could not prove Bambi was alive, it also could not confirm that she was dead. Some people in the movie expressed the belief that she was still alive living by her legal name somewhere, and did not want to be found. I was also personally convinced that was the case. I suspect that at least one other person in the movie (Jim Clark) may have possessed information about Bambi that the others did not - how much information this person kept secret is hard to ascertain. 

Back to my own investigative work. I went through my usual obsessive routine that week by typing in key words and phrases through major search engines. On Monday morning, November 29th, 2010 around 4 a.m. I Googled the phrase "Bambi Woods alive and well" and to my surprise something popped up on an Internet Movie Data Base page (IMDB) message board! Curiously, I had read this post before, but it must have gone over my head. Ironically, it was a page devoted to the cast and characters in The Dark Side of Porn Documentary!

I then scrolled down the message board. A user with the name of Brendan3 had a headline a few years back from November 21, 2006 that read "Bambi Woods alive and well in NYC." I clicked on it and the first comment and it read as follows:

"Did the film makers even bother trying to find her? She's not hiding. She lives on the lower east side. She was still battling heroin in the late 80's. I haven't seen her since the mid 90's... but that's a bit longer than the film makers who suggest she may have died in 1986. Nice investigation work there."

              Then came a comment from  this same user on Thursday March 22, 2007. It was an update that simply read : "Coleen (Bambi) died in the late 90's."

              I contacted him in an attempt to get a clear answer. He later indicated to me someone had given him that information and he believed it. This false posting did, however, trigger a very helpful posting by a user named Klhink. On Friday April 13, 2007 he posted the following comment:

"I worked with her for some years in the 80s, she married an ex-cop named Hageman(sp?), had a daughter named Rain I think. Heroin OD wouldn't surprise me. She lost her job at the end of the 80s or early 90s."

I had figured it out! If she was, in fact, still alive as I highly suspected -  it seemed certain her married name was Colleen Hageman! The last name started with an H as was suggested by "Colleen" in the Yesbutnobutyes.com comment forum. That this commentor claimed she married an ex-cop made me certain I was really onto something. The fact that he gave the daughter's name was a much-needed  bonus.

              I will note that during this time that I had a curious friend who was privately rooting me on. He happened to have a background that gave him access to her phone number and address, if I could give him the name of the town where she lived. I called him immediately, though it was very early in the morning. He was just getting up for work and I was still lacking sleep. I excitedly claimed that I thought I figured out her name, and he did not sound the least bit surprised. He saw first-hand how this obsession was consuming my time. He may even have been as relieved as I was.

              He said if I could get a little more information by Wednesday he would dig deeper. It was early Monday morning, November 29, 2010. I still had a couple hours left in me so back to work I went.

I immediately went to Pipl.com and started searching. While I was aware that this information might not be accurate or incomplete, I figured it would at least tell me if a woman by the name of Colleen Hageman lived in New York or any other states. It might also tell me who her possible relatives might be.

               Every single site I went to came to the same conclusion. A 50 year old woman by the name of Colleen D. Hageman had lived in New York and presently lived in New Jersey. It listed her possible relatives as William J. Hageman and Kristen R Hageman. It listed some of the different names she had used and the last four towns in New Jersey she had lived in, the most recent being Wharton. It turned out Rain was her daughter's middle name, which she is known to go by. Was the D in Colleen's middle name Debbie? At this point she was becoming very real to me.

               I checked Facebook and Myspace and found profiles for both Colleen and her daughter. At the time, her daughter had a fairly public profile. Her mom had a cartoon picture up and you could not send her a message, see her Friends list, or anything else. I decided it was time for some much-needed sleep. I note that Colleen was not on her daughter's list of friends, causing me to wonder if they do not get along, or if this is simply for privacy reasons. I suspect the latter.

              The following Monday night and Tuesday I Googled the name Colleen Hageman and found an active email address. I then found a notice in The Village Voice from August 2009 that noted the 1997 death of William J Hageman, and that his estate was distributed between his daughters Kristin R. Hageman and Colleen D. Hageman, addresses unknown. This is what initially led me to believe she was widowed in 1997. "Colleen" did say in the yesbutnobutyes comment forum that she was married to an ex-cop, so this is certainly plausible. I will note the incorrect listing as Colleen Hageman being his daughter, rather than his wife. This mis-information may leave one to wonder if that was an honest error, or if it was printed that way on purpose.

                After researching William J. Hageman I discovered that he was murdered on July 29, 1997 (NY Daily News) outside of the six story apartment complex that he lived in and managed. Mr. Hageman was leaving the East Village building (located at 201 E. 12th St.) with his 29 year old daughter Dawn Kaye Hagman (from a previous relationship) and got into some type of confrontation with her estranged boyfriend. Mr. Hageman was stabbed to death around 10:30 p.m.that night. The man (Thomas Kelly) was tried and ultimately convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to twenty two years to life behind bars. His appeal was later denied.

               The article stated that his 11 year old daughter, Kristen/Rain, (who thankfully was reported to not be there), lived with him at the time. It said nothing about his wife, Colleen Hageman. This would probably make one think that either they were estranged (despite still being legally married) or the information was once again not reported on purpose. Either way, this was another discrepancy in regards to Colleen Hageman and her true relationship to William J. Hageman. Considering she was his wife (and mother to his daughter) this seemed quite strange to me. It also incorrectly listed Mr. Hageman's age as being 60, rather than 51. 

               My other online searches led me to the obituary of a Chris J. Marlis, who died in June, 2008. It listed his sisters as Colleen Hageman of New Jersey and Jennifer Reynolds of New Castle. It listed his brothers as Fred Marlis of Cumberland, MD and Kevin Marlis of Connellsville. Colleen's maiden name was purported to have started with an "M," and my gut instinct told me I had found what I was looking for.

               I looked these names up on Facebook, and sure enough, Kevin and Fred Marlis were on Rain Hageman's friend list. They had profile pictures up and, like Rain, did not have Colleen on their list. Colleen Marlis Hageman was alive and I had the visual evidence to prove it. It would have been nice to have a recent picture of her, but I was still satisfied with the progress I'd made in my search.

It was now early Wednesday morning. I was doing my usual reading of all the information I had and still  looking for any new information I could find when I came across two very interesting items.

               First, I found her Mothers obituary, Elaine Westhof Marlis from March 2009. It listed her daughter as Colleen Hageman of Budd Lake, New Jersey. This was in the area of Wharton, New Jersey in Morris county. It didn't seem far-fetched to think she had once again moved in the last couple years and was still living in the same area. It listed her grandchildren as Kristen Hageman and Nick Hageman. I was fully aware that Colleen had a daughter at this point, but I found myself wondering who Nick Hageman was in regards to Colleen Hageman.

               I then logged into Myspace and scrolled her daughters profile for the millionth time, just to see if I might have missed anything. In one of the first profiles on her Friend list was a half Asian kid by the name of Nick Hageman. He was a senior in High School and lived in Budd Lake, New Jersey. He was very much into cars and had a Photobucket sight as well as a site on Turbobricks. I suspected him to be her son.

               I found all this at once so it hit me hard. I went to those sites and created a couple of short profiles. I discovered that one of his profiles had 1263 photos. Since he had posted these photos publicly, any information gleaned from them was "fair game."  After all this time, I felt I was getting very close to finding out what I was looking for. Within the first hundred pictures I saw a couple pictures of a car with a clear license plate number, as well as a house with a number on it. Game on!

               I knew that this information was likely to be of help in my search. I had the name of the town, a house number, a name, as well as a car with a clear license plate number. It was just about time to call my good friend "The Closer" to see if my detective work paid off, or if it was in fact all in vain.

By now I felt certain the supposed online interview of Bambi Woods was a hoax - and a big one at that. There were a few  reasons I could think of to explain why such a hoax was perpetuated.

               My initial  theory about Bambi Woods being in on the hoax herself for the purpose of misdirecting people is likely incorrect. The person calling herself "Colleen" who posted on the comments section of the forum - and giving facts I later discovered to be true - could well have been Bambi herself. If that's the case, it would make no sense for her to debunk information that she had provided in the original interview, if the purpose for the original "interview" was to intentionally mislead people.

               My second theory is that the e-zine host was hoaxed himself, and shared this deception with us, believing the claims to be true. If this was the case, he may have slightly demonstrated a lack of journalistic integrity by failing to carefully check his source before presenting the material as "fact."

               My third theory is that the host was in on the hoax to generate money and publicity for his site. Perhaps he even hoped such a ruse might incidentally lead to the answers he himself was seeking. If this is the case, it is most definitely irresponsible journalism. Clever - but nevertheless irresponsible.

               My final theory is that the host was in on the deception with some of the British people who produced the 2005 The Dark Side of Porn documentary. I wonder about this because of the non-American phrases throughout the interview, and because the documentary is advertised towards the end of the discussion.

            I will note that over the last couple years I was able to talk with Scaramouch (Steve Coulson) and found him to be a stand up guy. After extensive conversation he conceded that he more than likely was duped. Over time I shared the correct information with him and asked him if he wanted to do a follow up story to his interview and revive Yesbutnobutyes.com. After much consideration he declined but gave me his blessing to go forward with this story and to update him as I made progress. Yesbutnobutyes.com is read only as of May 2010.

               Was it Bambi Woods, using her real name "Colleen," talking about her life and experiences in the comment forum? Whoever it was had a lot of information regarding her. If it was not Bambi, then why did this person bother to post at all? This person seemed to have a personal interest in setting the record straight. At minimum their comments were definitely a teaser to all of us who were curious about Bambi Woods. It seems more than coincidental that most of the information about Bambi that was offered in that post all checked out during my research. If I ever happen to get lucky enough to talk with the real Bambi Woods, this will most definitely be at the top of my list of questions for her!

               Either way, I'm glad that online interview took place, whether it was real or not. If it hadn't, I probably wouldn't have uncovered the mystery surrounding Bambi Woods. In some way, shape or form I owe Steve Coulson - and the producers of the 2005 documentary film - a debt of gratitude.

Bambi Woods: Part IV

           As I briefly mentioned, I have a long-time friend (whom I will call "Randy,") who was rooting me on with my research. He heard me mention this case several times over the years and was nearly as fascinated by it as I was, though he didn't always care to admit it.  He even did some research himself - perhaps more than he cared to tell me.

              Randy was always laughing at me and calling me obsessed and making jokes, though it was all in good fun. He worked at a job that gave him access to people's contact information, and offered to help me with the case if I ever came close to solving it. At the time he probably believed that was a longshot, at best. Even I had started to doubt I would ever come any closer to finding Bambi. Looking back on it, I sometimes felt I had a better chance of winning the lottery.

               I am sure if Randy had been a single entrepreneur who could manage his own schedule, as I was, he probably would have been as devoted as I was to discovering Bambi Wood's true identity and current whereabouts. Randy worked 50+  hours a week on a regular basis, and had a girlfriend, so as far as the Bambi Woods case was concerned, he had to be happy with living vicariously through me.

            I called Randy Monday November 29th 2010 in the early morning. I told him about the information I had finally unearthed regarding Bambi Woods and he knew that I was getting closer than ever to my goal of discovering her true identity. The only thing that I told him was that her name was in fact Colleen, she lived in New Jersey, and that she had a daughter just as I had strongly suspected. I did not give him her last name or her daughters name. I did not know at that time that she had a son and that his online profile would soon be of great help to me.

               In hindsight, I worked very hard to obtain this information and just wasn't comfortable divulging very much to anyone else. Besides, I needed to learn the name of the town where Colleen had settled in order for him to obtain further information for me. It may have been possible to get the additional information without this, but at the least it would make it much more difficult.
              Wednesday rolled around, and I picked up the phone. At first I still did not give Randy her last name, but rather told him the town where Colleen lived, as well as her house number, and her name. That's all I felt I knew for sure. Within minutes he was able to tell me her street name and verify the house number I saw in the picture. He also had access to her last few addresses, her previous and present phone numbers, as well some of the alias' she had used over the years. A woman by the last name of Chen lived at an address across the river from her, and information unearthed by my friend indicated she was evidently associated with her in some manner. He also told me that she was presently associated with another address in New York state as well as two PO box addresses.

              "So which name is really hers?" he then asked me.
              "The first one, and the rest are aliases or variations of her name!" I replied.
              The closest alias to her real name was Colleen D. Hagerman. The information provided by Randy confirmed that she had indeed used a couple different names. Some were very similiar. We never ran the license plate number I had seen, but I was certain it was probably the vehicle she drove, as her son indicated in a posting he had given his mother his old car.

               Then it occurred to me to ask Randy what the "D" in her middle name stood for. His information indicated her middle name was either Diane or Denise, most likely the latter. I had for some reason been assuming (or maybe even hoping) it was Debbie, or Deborah, so this surprised me. I must say that both Randy and I were nearly ecstatic over having finally "broken" this case after so many years - it was truly a stellar moment! I could tell that his congratulations over this victory were sincere and that he was happy to be a part of it. We had succeeded where even professional Private Investigators had failed! 

              From then on I began to call my friend "The Closer," and that nickname has stuck with him ever since. He compared it to me pitching a perfect baseball game for eight innings but needing a reliever in the ninth. I'd say we made a pretty good team, and I'll always be grateful for his interest, and his help.

Bambi Woods Part V:

              On a whim, I had sent in a tip to The National Enquirer  telling them what I had uncovered. Fewer than twelve hours later, the Senior Editor called me and stated there may be some interest in this case. He arranged to fax me the company’s official Confidentiality Agreement, which he did. I signed and faxed it back, and later that afternoon we started talking.

              My initial gut response to our conversation was to wonder if I should back down on sharing the story with him. It was obvious that we were two different people from far different walks of life. Plus, I was having second thoughts on the matter. I had only undertaken this project for fun, out of personal curiosity, and had never considered financial gain. 

                However, in spite of my reservations I eventually folded and shared Colleen’s first and last name, as well as her daughter's name. I told him where they could be found on the different social networking sites and people search sites. He looked them up while we were talking on the phone, and he did seem amused. I told him I believed I could come up with even more information over the next couple days. 

               The next day he called me back and I gave him Colleen’s e-mail address, as well as her maiden name. I also offered him the name of her siblings, and told him they could be found on Rain Hageman's “Friend” list. Over the course of the next 24 hours, in a text message, I additionally gave  her son's name, and her exact address. I stated that if he wanted her phone number to call me back, and I would release it to him. He called me the next day and left me a message to call him back. I returned his call, and he told me that I had given him the correct information, although he claimed it was really hard to get her phone number. I indicated that he could have asked me, as I had left him a previous message telling him I had obtained it, and would give it to him if needed.

              As it turned out, he was evidently being less than truthful, as he then informed me that he had in fact already spoken with Ms. Woods, now known to both of us as Colleen Hageman. He told me that she indicated she might be willing to do a story with photographs. He said that The National Enquirer was willing to pay me $300 dollars for the information I had provided. He acted inconvenienced that I was curious and had a couple questions about Ms. Hageman, even though it was my many hours work that had brought us all to this point. 

              It seemed to me that $300 was a ridiculously small amount to compensate me for the hundreds of hours I had spent investigating this story. I told him that this offer was an insult, and far less than the number I had in mind. He then told me that if he was in charge of the money he would pay me what I was seeking, but he was not. He then tried to appeal to me on the grounds that these are tough times, and that The National Enquirer was in bankruptcy and debt. He said that if we did not reach an agreement, that their position was that they would “probably” just walk away from it. We hung up without reaching an agreement.

               Two hours later my phone rang, "Charlie, this is the Senior Editor at The Enquirer, we still want to play." He then proceeded to offer me $500 dollars, which I also turned down. We bickered a little bit back and fourth, but it was business on both ends, and I did my best not to make it personal between us, as did he.

              I had an appointment, and told him he could call me back after 4 o'clock if he still wanted to talk to me. My phone rang at five of four. He told me this was their "final take it or leave it offer" and went on to offer me $1,000.  Even though I could have used the money at the time, in my heart I knew that all my efforts, and persistence, were worth far more. Considering that the Dutch band A Balladeer wrote a song about this woman (Where Are You Bambi Woods?) and a documentary had been made, I could not and would not sell my hard-earned story for a mere $1,000! For the record I wanted $5,000 and to this day I have not made a dime. I wrote this story more to satisfy my own curiousity than for financial gain.

              Since we couldn’t reach a financial agreement, I became concerned that the company might just steal my story outright and not pay me a dime. As that possibility was becoming more likely to me, I contacted a local attorney. From what I had heard from various sources this lawyer was a stand up guy. He is married to a woman I went to High School with, and my friend "The Closer" knew him personally and urged me to give him a call. It was Friday December 3, 2010. I called, explained the situation briefly, I told him that all I wanted to do at the moment was fax a letter of rejection to The National Enquirer. We made an appointment for the following Monday morning. 

              My letter of rejection was typed up and faxed from the lawyers office on Monday December 6, 2010. His office ended up getting a fax back the next day from General Counsel. The fax stated that they (American Media Inc. & National Enquirer) were declining my offer, and would refrain from publishing information regarding Colleen Hageman, pursuant to the Confidentiality Agreement.

              These dealings with The Senior Editor at The National Enquirer did, however, result in proof positive that my information had proven correct – contact with Colleen Hageman had actually been established and she had in fact confirmed her true identity. Colleen Hageman was the iconic adult film star Bambi Woods and she is alive as of this story.

               I have all the legal paperwork to back this up. However, I was advised to keep it out of this story. I strongly felt I should do my best to do something worthwhile with this information. If not then I should have just taken the quick payout from The National Enquirer and moved on to other things. Somehow I feel that there is a deeper message to be discovered, and that Colleen Hageman – if she chooses to come out and tell her story – could one day make a positive contribution to the lives of other people. I would be honored to have been a part of that process.
               This story is not about Colleen Hageman or “Bambi Woods,” but rather about the process of discovering her true identity and whereabouts. At this time Bambi Woods (Colleen Hageman) has not released a book of her own. I am sure that whatever story she tells will be poignant, and highly worthwhile.

                If one really thinks about it for a minute, Bambi Woods did die around 1985, and Colleen Denise Marlis Hageman went on with her life and buried the old one. For better or for worse, she picked up the pieces and managed to survive and live under the radar. For the most part, the only people who knew this were most likely the ones who mattered most to her – others did not need to know.