1 00:00:14,521 --> 00:00:17,480 -(quiet rumbling) -(jet roaring) 2 00:00:17,563 --> 00:00:20,480 -(clicking) -(indistinct announcement) 3 00:00:20,563 --> 00:00:23,396 -(airport chatter) -Walter Cronkite: When he got on a plane 4 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:24,939 in Portland, Oregon, last night, 5 00:00:25,021 --> 00:00:26,688 he was just another passenger. 6 00:00:26,772 --> 00:00:29,897 But today, after hijacking a Northwest Airlines jet, 7 00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:32,730 a description on one wire service... 8 00:00:32,813 --> 00:00:34,063 master criminal. 9 00:00:34,146 --> 00:00:35,730 ♪ ♪ 10 00:00:35,813 --> 00:00:39,063 Reporter 1: It was Thanksgiving Eve, 1971, when a hijacker named 11 00:00:39,146 --> 00:00:41,563 DB Cooper parachuted out of the tail door 12 00:00:41,647 --> 00:00:43,730 of a Northwest Airlines 727... 13 00:00:43,813 --> 00:00:45,939 Reporter 2: A daring parachute escape somewhere 14 00:00:46,021 --> 00:00:48,021 between Reno and Seattle, Washington. 15 00:00:48,104 --> 00:00:49,772 (helicopter hovering) 16 00:00:49,855 --> 00:00:52,813 Reporter 3: The only unsolved airplane hijacking 17 00:00:52,897 --> 00:00:54,271 in United States history. 18 00:00:54,355 --> 00:00:57,897 Man: He demanded $200,000 and four parachutes. 19 00:00:57,980 --> 00:00:59,772 Then, he disappeared. 20 00:00:59,855 --> 00:01:01,230 Reporter 4: They really didn't know 21 00:01:01,313 --> 00:01:02,980 if the hijacker parachuted around here. 22 00:01:03,063 --> 00:01:05,438 Reporter 5: The story begins there, but how it ends? 23 00:01:05,521 --> 00:01:07,104 That's the mystery. 24 00:01:07,188 --> 00:01:09,438 Reporter 6: But today, they still could not explain 25 00:01:09,521 --> 00:01:11,939 what really happened to DB Cooper. 26 00:01:12,021 --> 00:01:13,438 Reporter 7: Leaving only the question, 27 00:01:13,521 --> 00:01:15,939 did the man the world now knows 28 00:01:16,021 --> 00:01:19,480 as the legendary DB Cooper live... 29 00:01:20,438 --> 00:01:22,438 or did he die? 30 00:01:22,521 --> 00:01:25,688 ♪ ♪ 31 00:01:28,438 --> 00:01:31,313 Bruce Smith: DB Cooper. Don't know his identity. 32 00:01:31,396 --> 00:01:33,188 Don't know where he came from. 33 00:01:33,271 --> 00:01:35,688 Don't know what happened to him. 34 00:01:35,772 --> 00:01:38,355 It's just one more mystery after another. 35 00:01:38,438 --> 00:01:40,521 ♪ 36 00:01:52,396 --> 00:01:56,146 Marla Cooper: I remembered my father telling me this story. 37 00:01:56,230 --> 00:02:00,063 "Don't you remember? He hijacked that airplane." 38 00:02:00,146 --> 00:02:02,230 Ben Anjewierden: He ended up being my roommate, 39 00:02:02,313 --> 00:02:06,188 and he talked an awful lot about hijacking. 40 00:02:06,271 --> 00:02:10,021 Bernie Rhodes: He knew that I was closing in on him. 41 00:02:11,647 --> 00:02:15,063 Cooper: The first thing that kind of hit in my head was 42 00:02:15,146 --> 00:02:16,813 that looks like my dad. 43 00:02:16,897 --> 00:02:19,980 ♪ ♪ 44 00:02:25,897 --> 00:02:29,188 Geoffrey Gray: It almost defied the imagination. 45 00:02:29,271 --> 00:02:33,063 Defied the imagination to do it... 46 00:02:33,146 --> 00:02:36,396 and defied the imagination to get away with it. 47 00:02:51,521 --> 00:02:55,355 (birds chirping) 48 00:03:02,188 --> 00:03:03,647 John Dower: DB Cooper. 49 00:03:06,063 --> 00:03:08,772 Sounds like he's been a big part of your life. 50 00:03:09,438 --> 00:03:11,396 Yeah. 51 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:12,897 It's used up a lot of good years 52 00:03:12,980 --> 00:03:15,230 that I could've put somewhere else. 53 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,230 That I should have put somewhere else. 54 00:03:20,647 --> 00:03:24,521 And I lost a lot of my life. I mean, you know... 55 00:03:24,605 --> 00:03:28,897 I wish he had never told me anything. 56 00:03:29,021 --> 00:03:31,230 (slide projector clicking, focusing) 57 00:03:31,313 --> 00:03:33,063 ♪ ♪ 58 00:03:33,146 --> 00:03:35,688 He treated me nice. He... 59 00:03:35,772 --> 00:03:37,188 When he would dance with you, 60 00:03:37,271 --> 00:03:40,480 he knew exactly where to put his hand on your back. 61 00:03:40,563 --> 00:03:44,396 I mean, it was... I'd never been treated like a queen. 62 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,146 (projector clicking) 63 00:03:49,855 --> 00:03:52,480 Dower: What did you know about his past life? 64 00:03:52,563 --> 00:03:54,230 Weber: I didn't ask. 65 00:03:55,230 --> 00:03:57,897 If you love someone, 66 00:03:57,980 --> 00:04:00,647 the past is not important. 67 00:04:03,313 --> 00:04:05,104 (clicking) 68 00:04:05,188 --> 00:04:08,897 We were married March the 27th, 1978. 69 00:04:12,605 --> 00:04:16,271 He died on March the 28th, 1995. 70 00:04:18,021 --> 00:04:21,104 And that's where the story starts. 71 00:04:21,188 --> 00:04:23,605 (clicking, focusing) 72 00:04:25,188 --> 00:04:27,063 He was in the hospital 73 00:04:27,146 --> 00:04:28,521 three days before he died. 74 00:04:28,605 --> 00:04:31,688 -(ECG beeping) -(ventilator hissing) 75 00:04:31,772 --> 00:04:33,480 ♪ ♪ 76 00:04:33,563 --> 00:04:37,647 He had some kidney disease. 77 00:04:37,730 --> 00:04:40,063 At first, he allowed them to dialysize him, 78 00:04:40,146 --> 00:04:43,521 and then he removed himself from the machine. 79 00:04:43,605 --> 00:04:48,188 The doctors told him he would be dead within so many days. 80 00:04:48,271 --> 00:04:51,897 When you're like that, you're going back into things. 81 00:04:52,021 --> 00:04:55,855 Your brain takes you back to your memories. 82 00:04:55,939 --> 00:04:57,897 -(ventilator hissing) -(ECG beeping) 83 00:04:57,980 --> 00:05:00,980 I went to adjust his pillow, 84 00:05:01,063 --> 00:05:03,605 and then he tries to tell me something. 85 00:05:03,688 --> 00:05:05,188 (inaudible) 86 00:05:05,271 --> 00:05:07,563 He kept on rambling, rambling, 87 00:05:07,647 --> 00:05:11,063 "I buried a bucket and I don't know where-- I can't find the bucket." 88 00:05:11,146 --> 00:05:12,521 -Tim Collins: Jo. -Huh? 89 00:05:12,605 --> 00:05:13,980 You know it better than I do. 90 00:05:14,063 --> 00:05:15,939 No, the day, the day you brought him, 91 00:05:16,021 --> 00:05:17,813 you brought him to the hospice care, 92 00:05:17,897 --> 00:05:20,980 -and you were helping him put on his pants. -Weber: Uh-huh. 93 00:05:21,063 --> 00:05:23,146 And you asked him about his knee. 94 00:05:23,230 --> 00:05:26,146 Yeah. He said he hurt it jumping out of a plane. 95 00:05:26,230 --> 00:05:29,021 Right. Then, you got to hospice care... 96 00:05:29,104 --> 00:05:30,313 ♪ ♪ 97 00:05:30,396 --> 00:05:32,063 And when the nurses left, 98 00:05:32,146 --> 00:05:34,730 he wanted to tell you a secret. He says, "Come closer." 99 00:05:34,813 --> 00:05:37,230 -And you thought he wanted a cigarette. -Weber: Yeah. 100 00:05:37,313 --> 00:05:40,438 -Collins: So start, start with that. -Weber: Right. 101 00:05:40,521 --> 00:05:42,521 (beeping) 102 00:05:42,605 --> 00:05:45,813 He says, "Jo, you and I've got to talk." 103 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:48,104 (inaudible) 104 00:05:48,188 --> 00:05:51,188 He was trying to tell me who he was. 105 00:05:51,271 --> 00:05:53,980 He says-- talking about jump out of a plane. 106 00:05:54,063 --> 00:05:57,688 I said, "You jump out of a plane? Come on. Gimme a break." 107 00:05:57,772 --> 00:06:01,813 And that's when he... I'm gonna say a bad word. 108 00:06:01,897 --> 00:06:04,230 That's when he shouted, "Oh, fuck! 109 00:06:04,313 --> 00:06:06,521 Let it die with me." Well, then they came in 110 00:06:06,605 --> 00:06:09,063 and started giving him injections. 111 00:06:09,146 --> 00:06:11,146 He still kept trying to tell me the story. 112 00:06:11,230 --> 00:06:14,396 I did not know what he was talking about. 113 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,647 Dower: But there was one key thing he said to you. 114 00:06:17,730 --> 00:06:20,980 "I'm Dan Cooper." 115 00:06:21,063 --> 00:06:24,104 (ECG continuous beep) 116 00:06:24,188 --> 00:06:25,730 ♪ ♪ 117 00:06:25,813 --> 00:06:28,230 Those were his last words... 118 00:06:29,063 --> 00:06:31,688 except, "I love you." 119 00:06:36,563 --> 00:06:38,688 Dower: What did you do next? 120 00:06:38,772 --> 00:06:40,897 Called the FBI. 121 00:06:42,563 --> 00:06:45,647 ♪ ♪ 122 00:06:46,897 --> 00:06:49,647 Narrator 1: The jet age is now here. 123 00:06:49,730 --> 00:06:52,063 The advent of commercial flying 124 00:06:52,146 --> 00:06:53,563 by jet clipper. 125 00:06:53,647 --> 00:06:55,271 Near sonic speed, 126 00:06:55,355 --> 00:06:58,939 but inside, one of the most stunning discoveries. 127 00:06:59,021 --> 00:07:01,188 There is no feeling of movement at all. 128 00:07:01,271 --> 00:07:03,146 (jet whirring) 129 00:07:03,230 --> 00:07:05,230 Narrator 2: Now, over 400 flights a day 130 00:07:05,313 --> 00:07:08,813 by 22 airlines serving over 80 destinations. 131 00:07:08,897 --> 00:07:10,230 You'll find this airplane 132 00:07:10,313 --> 00:07:12,355 much more roomy than the ones you've been used to. 133 00:07:12,438 --> 00:07:15,563 ♪ 134 00:07:17,772 --> 00:07:20,146 Narrator 3: If this is what comes with the coffee, 135 00:07:20,230 --> 00:07:22,647 you can imagine what goes before. 136 00:07:27,521 --> 00:07:30,313 Tina Mucklow: Let's see if I can find anything else. 137 00:07:30,396 --> 00:07:32,563 Some letters... 138 00:07:32,647 --> 00:07:34,480 My name is Tina, 139 00:07:34,563 --> 00:07:38,313 and, um, I was hijacked 140 00:07:38,396 --> 00:07:40,480 many years ago. 141 00:07:42,146 --> 00:07:44,480 -Dower: There's you. -Mucklow: And there's me. 142 00:07:45,438 --> 00:07:48,021 Think I must've been 20 or 21 143 00:07:48,104 --> 00:07:50,772 at the time of the hijacking. 144 00:07:50,855 --> 00:07:54,688 They painted the job as being glamorous, and it... 145 00:07:54,772 --> 00:07:58,897 I guess, to a certain extent, it was glamorous. 146 00:07:58,980 --> 00:08:01,104 Narrator: When a Braniff International hostess 147 00:08:01,188 --> 00:08:03,146 meets you on the airplane... 148 00:08:04,271 --> 00:08:06,271 she'll be dressed like this. 149 00:08:06,355 --> 00:08:07,813 ♪ ♪ 150 00:08:07,897 --> 00:08:09,063 Pilot: I believe that 151 00:08:09,146 --> 00:08:12,188 for every dollar that our passengers give us, 152 00:08:12,271 --> 00:08:14,688 they're gonna get $1.50 back in terms of service. 153 00:08:14,772 --> 00:08:17,396 We do it because we want to and not because we have to. 154 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:21,021 Mucklow: We signed a contract that we wouldn't gain 155 00:08:21,104 --> 00:08:24,563 over a certain amount of weight, but when I was hired, 156 00:08:24,647 --> 00:08:27,939 even if you were married and you became pregnant, 157 00:08:28,021 --> 00:08:30,188 you had to resign. 158 00:08:30,271 --> 00:08:33,563 Plus one thing no other airline can ever offer. 159 00:08:34,104 --> 00:08:35,396 Me. 160 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:37,897 It was a different world. 161 00:08:37,980 --> 00:08:40,146 Another airplane has been hijacked. 162 00:08:40,230 --> 00:08:43,021 This time by a gunman who said he wanted to go to Cuba 163 00:08:43,104 --> 00:08:46,939 because he said he was tired of TV dinners. 164 00:08:47,021 --> 00:08:48,563 ♪ ♪ 165 00:08:48,647 --> 00:08:50,730 John Chancellor: Governments of Cuba and the United States 166 00:08:50,813 --> 00:08:53,688 are talking about getting together to curb hijacking. 167 00:08:53,772 --> 00:08:56,230 The only time American planes go to Cuba 168 00:08:56,313 --> 00:08:57,980 is when they've been hijacked. 169 00:08:58,063 --> 00:08:59,647 (siren blaring) 170 00:08:59,730 --> 00:09:02,188 William Rataczak: There was a fair amount of frequency of hijacks. 171 00:09:02,271 --> 00:09:05,438 Typically Cuban nationals 172 00:09:05,521 --> 00:09:08,521 who wanted to return to their homeland. 173 00:09:08,605 --> 00:09:11,647 Everybody on the airplane would get a bottle of rum 174 00:09:11,730 --> 00:09:14,813 and a couple of cigars and got back on the airplane 175 00:09:14,897 --> 00:09:18,188 and flew home and thought it was really a fun thing. 176 00:09:19,396 --> 00:09:22,438 But this one was different because it was 177 00:09:22,521 --> 00:09:25,647 a hijacking demanding money. 178 00:09:25,730 --> 00:09:28,813 ♪ ♪ 179 00:09:31,688 --> 00:09:33,772 Bill Mitchell: I was coming home for Thanksgiving 180 00:09:33,855 --> 00:09:36,355 from the University of Oregon. 181 00:09:36,438 --> 00:09:40,521 I had run into Portland Airport. 182 00:09:40,605 --> 00:09:44,480 I threw down cash. 183 00:09:44,563 --> 00:09:46,271 This is 50 years ago, 184 00:09:46,355 --> 00:09:48,355 and there was no... 185 00:09:48,438 --> 00:09:50,980 metal detectors. It was just... 186 00:09:51,063 --> 00:09:53,855 a different era. 187 00:09:53,939 --> 00:09:56,480 Bob Fuhriman: All you had to have was a ticket 188 00:09:57,313 --> 00:09:58,647 to get on the flight. 189 00:09:58,730 --> 00:10:01,021 Dower: Security? 190 00:10:01,104 --> 00:10:02,855 What? (laughs) 191 00:10:02,939 --> 00:10:05,355 (plane idling) 192 00:10:05,438 --> 00:10:06,647 Mitchell: You just walked up 193 00:10:06,730 --> 00:10:10,605 the back steps of the stairs and sat down. 194 00:10:12,813 --> 00:10:15,480 He sat 195 00:10:15,563 --> 00:10:17,480 in the middle seat 196 00:10:17,563 --> 00:10:20,271 on the back row on the right. 197 00:10:20,355 --> 00:10:22,313 ♪ ♪ 198 00:10:22,396 --> 00:10:25,230 This guy in this suit and tie, 199 00:10:25,313 --> 00:10:27,021 he had sunglasses on, 200 00:10:27,104 --> 00:10:29,104 and it was dark. 201 00:10:29,897 --> 00:10:32,271 And I thought... 202 00:10:32,355 --> 00:10:34,396 that's not very cool. 203 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:39,230 Rataczak: Florence Schaffner, the number two stewardess, was... 204 00:10:39,313 --> 00:10:41,396 tending to the passengers when they came in, 205 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:42,772 helping them find their seats 206 00:10:42,855 --> 00:10:46,855 and magazine handouts and what have you. 207 00:10:46,939 --> 00:10:50,396 Um, and he gave her this note. 208 00:10:52,063 --> 00:10:56,104 And she thought he was hitting on her. 209 00:10:56,188 --> 00:10:58,313 So she tucked it in her coat pocket, 210 00:10:58,396 --> 00:11:00,438 if you will, her jacket pocket. 211 00:11:00,521 --> 00:11:02,021 Finally, he said, 212 00:11:02,104 --> 00:11:04,104 "Miss, I want you to read that note." 213 00:11:05,438 --> 00:11:08,772 Just as we were starting to roll down the runway... 214 00:11:08,855 --> 00:11:10,104 (PA announcement) 215 00:11:10,188 --> 00:11:12,605 the flight attendant next to me, Flo, 216 00:11:12,688 --> 00:11:15,104 handed me this note, 217 00:11:15,188 --> 00:11:17,271 and it said, um, 218 00:11:17,355 --> 00:11:19,939 "Miss, you're, um... 219 00:11:20,021 --> 00:11:23,647 you're being hijacked. I've got a bomb. Come sit next to me." 220 00:11:23,730 --> 00:11:27,688 ♪ ♪ 221 00:11:27,772 --> 00:11:30,897 He opened the briefcase and showed me that 222 00:11:30,980 --> 00:11:34,688 there were these, what looked like, dynamite. 223 00:11:34,772 --> 00:11:37,855 They were strapped together with electrician's tape, 224 00:11:37,939 --> 00:11:40,563 and out of it was running wire, 225 00:11:40,647 --> 00:11:44,188 and there was a large battery. 226 00:11:45,355 --> 00:11:47,730 And he also expressed 227 00:11:47,813 --> 00:11:50,146 that he wasn't going to be taken alive. 228 00:11:50,230 --> 00:11:52,355 (plane chatter) 229 00:11:52,438 --> 00:11:54,396 Rataczak: We were rolling down the runway. 230 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:56,605 All of a sudden, we hear chimes. 231 00:11:56,688 --> 00:11:59,772 -(chiming) -One chime is usually, 232 00:11:59,855 --> 00:12:02,438 "Would you like a cup of coffee?" 233 00:12:02,521 --> 00:12:04,063 Harold Anderson: Immediately followed by 234 00:12:04,146 --> 00:12:05,647 a number of rings. 235 00:12:05,730 --> 00:12:07,688 -(ringing) -Rataczak: When a series of chimes rings, 236 00:12:07,772 --> 00:12:10,355 that is an emergency. 237 00:12:10,438 --> 00:12:13,855 And it was Tina Mucklow that came on-- 238 00:12:13,939 --> 00:12:16,480 on the interphone, and she said, 239 00:12:16,563 --> 00:12:20,230 "We are being hijacked, and I'm serious." 240 00:12:20,313 --> 00:12:22,104 But it was too late to abort the takeoff. 241 00:12:22,188 --> 00:12:25,104 (jet engines roaring) 242 00:12:25,188 --> 00:12:27,772 ♪ ♪ 243 00:12:27,855 --> 00:12:31,605 Mitchell: I did think, you know, this is, I guess, 244 00:12:31,688 --> 00:12:34,063 my college sophomore ego. 245 00:12:34,146 --> 00:12:35,939 But I couldn't quite figure out 246 00:12:36,021 --> 00:12:39,188 why this young flight attendant 247 00:12:39,271 --> 00:12:40,813 would be sitting next 248 00:12:40,897 --> 00:12:44,563 and talking to this guy. 249 00:12:44,647 --> 00:12:48,021 Mucklow: He had ordered a drink, a bourbon. 250 00:12:48,104 --> 00:12:51,647 He was a smoker, and I actually lit 251 00:12:51,730 --> 00:12:53,480 several of his cigarettes 252 00:12:53,563 --> 00:12:57,563 because he didn't wanna take his finger off that trigger. 253 00:12:59,188 --> 00:13:01,897 I said a prayer for the passengers, 254 00:13:01,980 --> 00:13:05,313 and for the crew, and... 255 00:13:05,396 --> 00:13:07,897 for the hijacker as well. 256 00:13:07,980 --> 00:13:11,230 Um, you know, I didn't know what his history was. 257 00:13:13,230 --> 00:13:14,730 I wanted to run. 258 00:13:14,813 --> 00:13:16,939 But, you know, on a 727, 259 00:13:17,021 --> 00:13:18,730 there's no place to run. 260 00:13:18,813 --> 00:13:21,730 ♪ ♪ 261 00:13:21,813 --> 00:13:24,939 (insects chirping) 262 00:13:27,146 --> 00:13:29,230 -Dower: If you could mentally time travel... -Ron Forman: Yeah. 263 00:13:29,313 --> 00:13:31,480 Dower: ...go back to that very first day. 264 00:13:31,563 --> 00:13:34,396 Pat Forman: I was just hanging out at the airport, as always, 265 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:36,480 and Ron took 266 00:13:36,563 --> 00:13:38,063 a break, and he said, 267 00:13:38,146 --> 00:13:40,438 "Let's go over and talk to that lady 268 00:13:40,521 --> 00:13:41,855 that's out there on the field." 269 00:13:41,939 --> 00:13:43,897 ♪ ♪ 270 00:13:43,980 --> 00:13:45,647 Ron: Every weekend, if the weather was good, 271 00:13:45,730 --> 00:13:47,813 she was up flying. And if it was a rainy day, 272 00:13:47,897 --> 00:13:49,438 she would just be sitting in her car, 273 00:13:49,521 --> 00:13:51,521 you know, if it's pouring down, always by herself. 274 00:13:51,605 --> 00:13:53,688 And I thought there was something unusual about her, 275 00:13:53,772 --> 00:13:55,146 but I didn't know what, 276 00:13:55,230 --> 00:13:57,480 so that's why I decided, let's go talk to her, right? 277 00:13:58,897 --> 00:14:01,188 And then, Ron was telling her 278 00:14:01,271 --> 00:14:04,146 that he had just got his pilot's license, 279 00:14:04,230 --> 00:14:07,021 and he was actually flying 280 00:14:07,104 --> 00:14:09,230 for the Kiwanis Club to build up hours 281 00:14:09,313 --> 00:14:11,146 to get a commercial license. 282 00:14:13,021 --> 00:14:15,563 Dower: And what was she like as a pilot? 283 00:14:15,647 --> 00:14:17,230 -Pat: Oh, man. (laughs) -Ron: Great. 284 00:14:17,313 --> 00:14:20,271 -She was great. And she was daring. -Pat: She was a great pilot. 285 00:14:20,355 --> 00:14:23,063 -She had all the talents, I mean... -She had all the talents. 286 00:14:23,146 --> 00:14:25,688 Pat: She was parachuting. 287 00:14:25,772 --> 00:14:28,813 Ron: Then, after that, she came over every Sunday night. 288 00:14:28,897 --> 00:14:31,271 When she came over, after we knew her a year, right? 289 00:14:31,355 --> 00:14:33,521 That's when she told us, you know... 290 00:14:33,605 --> 00:14:35,104 You-you-you tell that story. 291 00:14:35,188 --> 00:14:37,897 ♪ ♪ 292 00:14:37,980 --> 00:14:42,146 Pat: Well, she came over one Sunday night, as usual. 293 00:14:42,230 --> 00:14:45,980 She said that she had something that she had to tell us. 294 00:14:46,063 --> 00:14:49,271 All of a sudden, I had this funny feeling. 295 00:14:49,355 --> 00:14:51,104 It was really weird. 296 00:14:51,188 --> 00:14:53,355 I started forming in my mind that... 297 00:14:54,772 --> 00:14:57,480 maybe she used to be a man. 298 00:14:57,563 --> 00:15:00,855 Can that be possible? Can they do that? 299 00:15:00,939 --> 00:15:02,897 Barb stopped talking in the middle of talking, 300 00:15:02,980 --> 00:15:04,563 and she told Ron, she says, 301 00:15:04,647 --> 00:15:06,980 "Well, your wife knows now." 302 00:15:07,063 --> 00:15:09,146 (laughs) 303 00:15:09,230 --> 00:15:11,563 Then she started telling us all the details 304 00:15:11,647 --> 00:15:13,438 of what she had gone through, 305 00:15:13,521 --> 00:15:15,688 and why she had gone through it. 306 00:15:17,188 --> 00:15:19,313 Ron: She was the first woman to have a sex change 307 00:15:19,396 --> 00:15:21,271 -in Washington. -Dower: Or the first man. 308 00:15:21,355 --> 00:15:25,480 -Yeah, first man! Yeah, first man. Yeah. -(laughing) 309 00:15:25,563 --> 00:15:28,772 Dower: What was she called before she had the sex change? 310 00:15:28,855 --> 00:15:31,313 Pat: Her name was Robert Dayton. 311 00:15:32,313 --> 00:15:33,355 (click) 312 00:15:33,438 --> 00:15:38,104 Dower: How did DB Cooper first come up? 313 00:15:38,188 --> 00:15:41,647 Pat: The pilots always are discussing DB Cooper. 314 00:15:41,730 --> 00:15:43,897 -Dower: Well it's this area? -Ron: Yeah, it's this area right here. 315 00:15:43,980 --> 00:15:47,063 And it's one of the, you know, a great mystery, you know? 316 00:15:47,146 --> 00:15:48,688 Pat: Every time there was an article 317 00:15:48,772 --> 00:15:50,647 that said that DB Cooper was an idiot, 318 00:15:50,730 --> 00:15:52,688 -that he did stupid things... -Common criminal. 319 00:15:52,772 --> 00:15:55,563 He was a common criminal, she would actually get angry. 320 00:15:55,647 --> 00:15:56,980 ♪ ♪ 321 00:15:57,063 --> 00:15:59,688 -She just went off. -Ron: She really defended DB Cooper. 322 00:15:59,772 --> 00:16:01,063 I just looked at her, 323 00:16:01,146 --> 00:16:03,063 and I don't know what made me say it, I just said, 324 00:16:03,146 --> 00:16:06,396 "You know what? I know who DB Cooper is. It's Barb." 325 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:07,855 And, man, all of a sudden, 326 00:16:07,939 --> 00:16:11,188 she just stared at me, gave me a really dirty look. 327 00:16:11,271 --> 00:16:13,313 She says, "Don't ever say that again." 328 00:16:15,146 --> 00:16:17,355 So I thought that was kinda unusual. 329 00:16:17,438 --> 00:16:20,063 -(birds chirping) -(plane flying) 330 00:16:20,146 --> 00:16:21,813 And then, it was a few-- 331 00:16:21,897 --> 00:16:24,688 -a week or two later, right? She came over. And I... -Pat: Right. 332 00:16:24,772 --> 00:16:27,772 happened to have a newspaper article about it, you know, 333 00:16:27,855 --> 00:16:30,021 with a picture of DB Cooper, the sketch. 334 00:16:30,104 --> 00:16:32,730 I said, "Let me comb your hair to the side." 335 00:16:32,813 --> 00:16:35,605 So we combed it to the side, and we put sunglasses on, 336 00:16:35,688 --> 00:16:37,521 and we had one of the old Instamatic cameras. 337 00:16:37,605 --> 00:16:40,813 You know, you take a picture, and it develops. 338 00:16:40,897 --> 00:16:43,104 -(flash) -We were watching it develop, 339 00:16:43,188 --> 00:16:45,563 and I looked at the sketch, and I said, "Jesus Christ." 340 00:16:45,647 --> 00:16:49,063 I said, "She really matches. 341 00:16:49,146 --> 00:16:51,104 I think maybe she is DB Cooper." 342 00:16:51,188 --> 00:16:52,480 ♪ ♪ 343 00:16:52,563 --> 00:16:54,063 Pat: We had another couple here. 344 00:16:54,146 --> 00:16:56,980 Ron: A couple here, too, a young couple here, too. 345 00:16:57,063 --> 00:16:59,438 And we all kind of just were sitting around the table 346 00:16:59,521 --> 00:17:01,772 with our mouths open, watching her, like, 347 00:17:01,855 --> 00:17:05,521 what is she-- what is she doing here? 348 00:17:05,605 --> 00:17:07,355 And all of a sudden, she realized 349 00:17:07,438 --> 00:17:10,396 nobody was talking. We were all sitting there staring at her. 350 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:12,480 And then she, 351 00:17:12,563 --> 00:17:16,188 you know, she said, "Well," she says, "Okay. 352 00:17:18,438 --> 00:17:21,647 I am Dan Cooper." 353 00:17:21,730 --> 00:17:24,563 Ron: The couple that was with us, she panicked. 354 00:17:24,647 --> 00:17:26,480 -She just started screaming. -(screaming) 355 00:17:26,563 --> 00:17:28,188 "We're all going to jail now," you know. 356 00:17:28,271 --> 00:17:30,313 And she just went into a panic, and she just tore it 357 00:17:30,396 --> 00:17:32,063 into little bitty pieces. 358 00:17:32,146 --> 00:17:34,355 Threw it down, and they went home. 359 00:17:34,438 --> 00:17:36,980 ♪ ♪ 360 00:17:37,063 --> 00:17:40,104 We just spent another sleepless night 361 00:17:40,188 --> 00:17:42,772 just like we did when she told us 362 00:17:42,855 --> 00:17:45,939 she was a man because we were... 363 00:17:46,021 --> 00:17:48,563 what if this is true? I mean, 364 00:17:48,647 --> 00:17:50,230 what if, uh, 365 00:17:50,313 --> 00:17:51,647 she starts thinking about it, 366 00:17:51,730 --> 00:17:53,772 and she just told us this, and she comes back here 367 00:17:53,855 --> 00:17:56,855 -and kills us? (laughs) -Yeah, 'cause we know this secret, you know. 368 00:17:56,939 --> 00:18:00,188 (projector clicking, whirring) 369 00:18:00,271 --> 00:18:03,355 Pat: I don't think I wanted to believe it actually. 370 00:18:06,521 --> 00:18:08,313 ♪ ♪ 371 00:18:08,396 --> 00:18:11,980 But then there kept being more and more and more things 372 00:18:12,063 --> 00:18:15,271 that were popping up. 373 00:18:15,355 --> 00:18:18,730 Then she started giving us details about the jump. 374 00:18:18,813 --> 00:18:21,271 She said she jumped from 10,000 feet. 375 00:18:21,355 --> 00:18:24,396 She kept the chute. She didn't open the chute till 1,000 feet. 376 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,313 Pat: She told us that she had tied 377 00:18:27,396 --> 00:18:30,647 -the money belt around her waist... -The strap around. 378 00:18:30,730 --> 00:18:32,772 ...in a manner that, um, 379 00:18:32,855 --> 00:18:35,188 -she could use it as a depth finder. -Depth finder. 380 00:18:36,563 --> 00:18:39,647 And she described the dynamite to us, too, right? 381 00:18:39,730 --> 00:18:42,063 And I said, "Was it real dynamite, Barb?" 382 00:18:42,146 --> 00:18:43,813 "I don't do anything phony," she said. 383 00:18:43,897 --> 00:18:46,104 -Got mad at me because I brought that up. -(laughing) 384 00:18:46,188 --> 00:18:48,230 ♪ ♪ 385 00:18:48,313 --> 00:18:52,230 Pat: She told us that she landed in the field near Woodburn. 386 00:18:52,313 --> 00:18:55,897 Which is a perfect place. There is the Interstate 5, 387 00:18:55,980 --> 00:18:57,939 the freeway, there's lights there. 388 00:18:58,021 --> 00:18:59,605 Did the jump, changed her clothes, 389 00:18:59,688 --> 00:19:01,188 took off her suit and tie, 390 00:19:01,271 --> 00:19:03,688 put a blonde wig on. 391 00:19:03,772 --> 00:19:05,063 A policeman could've picked her up. 392 00:19:05,146 --> 00:19:06,939 Could've hitchhiked home, they would have never-- 393 00:19:07,021 --> 00:19:09,104 She's got a wig on. She's a woman. 394 00:19:09,188 --> 00:19:11,563 Who's gonna-- who's gonna stop her? 395 00:19:20,438 --> 00:19:24,355 ♪ ♪ 396 00:19:24,438 --> 00:19:26,230 Dower: So what happened next? 397 00:19:27,647 --> 00:19:32,271 Anderson: Well, once we got into the climb, 398 00:19:32,355 --> 00:19:34,772 Florence Schaffner came up to the cockpit 399 00:19:34,855 --> 00:19:38,355 with the other note that had all of the demands on it. 400 00:19:41,313 --> 00:19:45,480 $200,000 in negotiable currency, 401 00:19:46,521 --> 00:19:47,939 four parachutes, 402 00:19:48,021 --> 00:19:50,063 fuel truck standing by, 403 00:19:51,230 --> 00:19:54,188 and, "no fuzz." 404 00:19:54,271 --> 00:19:57,230 Rataczak: That got us thinking that 405 00:19:57,313 --> 00:20:00,188 this guy is no dummy. Four parachutes. 406 00:20:00,271 --> 00:20:03,230 One for him, and one for each one of us. 407 00:20:03,313 --> 00:20:05,313 That was our concern that 408 00:20:05,396 --> 00:20:08,772 he wanted us to bail with him. 409 00:20:08,855 --> 00:20:13,438 I get a hold of our company in Seattle on our 410 00:20:13,521 --> 00:20:15,021 discrete frequency, 411 00:20:15,104 --> 00:20:18,313 and tell them what's going on. 412 00:20:18,396 --> 00:20:20,980 So, the FBI was involved stat. 413 00:20:21,063 --> 00:20:23,855 -(phones ringing) -(office chatter) 414 00:20:23,939 --> 00:20:25,813 Fuhriman: I remember being in the office, 415 00:20:25,897 --> 00:20:29,897 and all of a sudden, over the PA system, came an announcement. 416 00:20:29,980 --> 00:20:32,021 Man (on PA): Attention all agents. 417 00:20:32,104 --> 00:20:33,688 We've had a hijacking. 418 00:20:33,772 --> 00:20:35,438 Then a few minutes later, the boss, 419 00:20:35,521 --> 00:20:36,980 the special agent in charge, 420 00:20:37,063 --> 00:20:38,480 came out of his office and grabbed me. 421 00:20:38,563 --> 00:20:40,772 He says, "You're driving me to the airport. Let's go." 422 00:20:40,855 --> 00:20:43,939 ♪ ♪ 423 00:20:45,563 --> 00:20:47,897 In any hijacking, or a case like that, 424 00:20:47,980 --> 00:20:50,438 potentially lives are at stake. 425 00:20:50,521 --> 00:20:51,939 But I just remember he was saying, 426 00:20:52,063 --> 00:20:53,855 "Get me there. Let's go." 427 00:20:53,939 --> 00:20:56,730 (plane humming) 428 00:20:56,813 --> 00:20:59,521 I asked Scotty, I said, "Scotty, do you think I should make a PA 429 00:20:59,605 --> 00:21:02,563 "and kinda keep people from roaming around the airplane 430 00:21:02,647 --> 00:21:04,063 while we're trying to get organized here?" 431 00:21:04,146 --> 00:21:06,104 And he said, "I think that's a good idea." 432 00:21:07,563 --> 00:21:10,104 My mother and dad told me never to lie, but... 433 00:21:11,271 --> 00:21:13,146 I told a fib, 434 00:21:13,230 --> 00:21:15,813 and I told them that we had a mechanical problem, 435 00:21:15,897 --> 00:21:17,313 but it was no great consequence. 436 00:21:17,396 --> 00:21:18,980 It was just something that we're gonna-- 437 00:21:19,063 --> 00:21:20,897 We're gonna go up into a holding pattern, 438 00:21:20,980 --> 00:21:23,980 most passengers will refer to it as circling. 439 00:21:24,063 --> 00:21:26,688 (engines roaring) 440 00:21:26,772 --> 00:21:29,313 -(siren blaring) -Fuhriman: We had no plan. 441 00:21:29,396 --> 00:21:31,521 The boss is talking to Northwest Airline people, 442 00:21:31,605 --> 00:21:33,772 the airport people, the airport police. 443 00:21:33,855 --> 00:21:35,897 Everybody was coordinating who's gonna do what, 444 00:21:35,980 --> 00:21:38,230 how do we handle this? What do we do? 445 00:21:38,313 --> 00:21:40,647 (engines roaring) 446 00:21:42,605 --> 00:21:44,104 Mucklow: I did ask him 447 00:21:44,188 --> 00:21:46,563 did he have a grudge with the airline. 448 00:21:46,647 --> 00:21:48,063 (inaudible) 449 00:21:48,146 --> 00:21:50,772 He said, "No. I don't have a grudge 450 00:21:50,855 --> 00:21:53,480 with the airline, but I do have a grudge." 451 00:21:53,563 --> 00:21:56,605 ♪ 452 00:22:02,772 --> 00:22:03,730 (tires screech) 453 00:22:03,813 --> 00:22:06,480 ♪ ♪ 454 00:22:06,563 --> 00:22:08,813 Fuhriman: Upon landing in Seattle, 455 00:22:08,897 --> 00:22:10,688 the money, 456 00:22:10,772 --> 00:22:13,230 the parachutes were brought out. 457 00:22:14,438 --> 00:22:16,188 One of the flight attendants 458 00:22:16,271 --> 00:22:18,230 was allowed to get off and pick those up. 459 00:22:21,688 --> 00:22:23,104 I got the money, 460 00:22:23,188 --> 00:22:25,438 brought it back to him. 461 00:22:25,521 --> 00:22:27,605 And then, we asked 462 00:22:27,688 --> 00:22:30,772 if he would allow the passengers off. 463 00:22:30,855 --> 00:22:32,980 And once he had the money, 464 00:22:33,063 --> 00:22:35,313 he was okay with passengers getting off. 465 00:22:35,396 --> 00:22:37,939 (siren blaring) 466 00:22:41,146 --> 00:22:43,313 Mitchell: It was dark, rainy... 467 00:22:45,188 --> 00:22:47,063 and we are... 468 00:22:47,146 --> 00:22:49,939 miles away from Sea-Tac terminal. 469 00:22:51,188 --> 00:22:54,730 A stairs came up, portable stairs. 470 00:22:54,813 --> 00:22:56,939 And as we all walked down, 471 00:22:57,063 --> 00:22:58,897 we were all kinda standing there, 472 00:22:58,980 --> 00:23:01,688 and somebody on the plane said, 473 00:23:01,772 --> 00:23:04,813 "Hey, we-- we were hijacked." 474 00:23:04,897 --> 00:23:06,813 We didn't know anything was happening. 475 00:23:06,897 --> 00:23:08,271 Nobody knew anything was happening. 476 00:23:08,355 --> 00:23:10,396 -Reporter: When did you find out? -After we landed. 477 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:11,772 When they brought the money aboard. 478 00:23:11,855 --> 00:23:15,146 The crew kept us ignorant of what was taking place, 479 00:23:15,230 --> 00:23:17,230 I guess to avoid a panic. 480 00:23:17,313 --> 00:23:19,396 And so, we really didn't know what was taking place. 481 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:21,647 We cruised around for two and a half hours up there. 482 00:23:21,730 --> 00:23:24,772 Wasn't until we got off the plane, got near a vehicle, 483 00:23:24,855 --> 00:23:27,438 and it looked like a money bag was being handed over. 484 00:23:27,521 --> 00:23:29,438 I then thought of a statement 485 00:23:29,521 --> 00:23:33,396 that I'd heard early on right as we were just in the air 486 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:35,813 a few minutes when one of the stewardesses said, 487 00:23:35,897 --> 00:23:38,772 "Keep the curtain open so he can see." 488 00:23:39,605 --> 00:23:42,271 (birds cawing) 489 00:23:46,396 --> 00:23:48,021 Dower: Nice room. 490 00:23:48,104 --> 00:23:50,772 It's very, um, "Twin Peaks." 491 00:23:51,647 --> 00:23:54,146 (Cooper laughs) 492 00:23:54,230 --> 00:23:57,230 Cooper: Well, back when that show as on, apparently, 493 00:23:57,313 --> 00:23:58,813 I looked a lot like the dead girl. 494 00:23:58,897 --> 00:24:00,647 And I would hear it all the time. "You look like 495 00:24:00,730 --> 00:24:02,980 the dead girl in 'Twin Peaks.'" (laughs) 496 00:24:03,772 --> 00:24:05,772 Dower: Now... 497 00:24:05,855 --> 00:24:07,897 why am I here, sitting talking to you? 498 00:24:07,980 --> 00:24:11,146 What's, what's your-- Where do you come into the story? 499 00:24:11,230 --> 00:24:13,521 ♪ ♪ 500 00:24:13,605 --> 00:24:15,897 Cooper: It was 1971. 501 00:24:15,980 --> 00:24:19,813 We were back in my grandmother's home in Oregon, 502 00:24:19,897 --> 00:24:22,688 a couple days before Thanksgiving. 503 00:24:22,772 --> 00:24:26,396 And my uncles, LD and Dewey, are there. 504 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:28,855 (projector clicking, focusing) 505 00:24:32,563 --> 00:24:34,772 I was always intrigued by them. 506 00:24:34,855 --> 00:24:36,480 They were really rowdy. 507 00:24:36,563 --> 00:24:39,188 And on this particular Thanksgiving, 508 00:24:39,271 --> 00:24:41,980 we go out in the woods near my grandmother's house, 509 00:24:42,063 --> 00:24:46,021 and I'm walking along with Uncle LD, just shadowing him. 510 00:24:46,104 --> 00:24:47,813 (birds chirping) 511 00:24:47,897 --> 00:24:52,021 I had a great affection for him. 512 00:24:52,104 --> 00:24:55,647 He was a very sweet man and... 513 00:24:55,730 --> 00:24:59,188 always my favorite in my dad's family. 514 00:25:00,647 --> 00:25:02,730 They were talking about 515 00:25:02,813 --> 00:25:04,939 something they were plotting, and I, 516 00:25:05,021 --> 00:25:07,271 I said, "What are you doing? What are you up to? 517 00:25:07,355 --> 00:25:08,772 What's going on?" 518 00:25:08,855 --> 00:25:11,605 -(dogs barking) -And they said, "Oh, 519 00:25:11,688 --> 00:25:13,813 we're gonna go hunting tomorrow morning." 520 00:25:13,897 --> 00:25:15,188 I said, "Are you going turkey hunting? 521 00:25:15,271 --> 00:25:17,104 Because it's almost Thanksgiving, 522 00:25:17,188 --> 00:25:19,521 and I'm really looking forward to a turkey. 523 00:25:19,605 --> 00:25:21,980 And, and they kinda laughed. 524 00:25:22,063 --> 00:25:23,438 "Yeah, we're gonna go-- 525 00:25:23,521 --> 00:25:25,230 we're gonna go shoot us a great big turkey." 526 00:25:25,313 --> 00:25:27,063 And they're just sort of playing a game 527 00:25:27,146 --> 00:25:28,563 of mental keep-away with me. 528 00:25:28,647 --> 00:25:30,647 Like they've got a secret. What they're telling me 529 00:25:30,730 --> 00:25:33,980 is not the whole truth, and so I keep probing, 530 00:25:34,063 --> 00:25:35,855 trying to get information out of them, 531 00:25:35,939 --> 00:25:37,730 and they're not talking about it. 532 00:25:37,813 --> 00:25:40,480 They're just taunting me with this story of a turkey hunt. 533 00:25:42,730 --> 00:25:47,438 And so early the next morning, I'm waiting in the driveway. 534 00:25:47,521 --> 00:25:49,813 And they came driving up, and I came 535 00:25:49,897 --> 00:25:52,146 running to the side of the car. 536 00:25:52,230 --> 00:25:55,313 ♪ ♪ 537 00:25:57,104 --> 00:25:59,980 And I looked in the passenger seat, 538 00:26:00,063 --> 00:26:02,688 and there was my Uncle LD, 539 00:26:02,772 --> 00:26:06,355 in a white T-shirt that had blood all over it, 540 00:26:06,438 --> 00:26:08,521 and he's nearly unconscious. 541 00:26:08,605 --> 00:26:11,438 ♪ ♪ 542 00:26:11,521 --> 00:26:15,772 "Daddy, Daddy! Come out here! Uncle LD's hurt!" 543 00:26:15,855 --> 00:26:18,438 And my dad came running out of the house, 544 00:26:18,521 --> 00:26:21,063 and ordered me to go back inside. 545 00:26:21,146 --> 00:26:22,730 But I didn't go back inside. 546 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,355 -(barking) -And then I heard Uncle Dewey say, 547 00:26:27,438 --> 00:26:29,980 "Well, we did it. We hijacked the airplane. 548 00:26:31,521 --> 00:26:33,980 We're rich. Our money problems are over." 549 00:26:35,271 --> 00:26:38,230 As soon as my uncles left, my dad sat me down, 550 00:26:38,313 --> 00:26:41,813 and he swore me to secrecy, telling me 551 00:26:41,897 --> 00:26:43,521 it's a matter of life and death. 552 00:26:43,605 --> 00:26:46,313 "You cannot talk about this to anybody." 553 00:26:51,647 --> 00:26:54,271 I was 8 years old, and now, 554 00:26:54,355 --> 00:26:55,980 I am left 555 00:26:56,063 --> 00:26:58,396 with keeping a secret that 556 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:02,146 one of them is hurt horribly, and... 557 00:27:03,563 --> 00:27:07,563 and not able to talk about what I'd seen that morning. 558 00:27:07,647 --> 00:27:10,313 (engines roaring) 559 00:27:14,104 --> 00:27:17,188 ♪ ♪ 560 00:27:19,313 --> 00:27:21,939 Fuhriman: We know the destination was supposed to be Reno, Nevada, 561 00:27:22,021 --> 00:27:24,271 and he wanted to go further south from that, 562 00:27:24,355 --> 00:27:27,230 I believe into Mexico as I recall. 563 00:27:27,313 --> 00:27:28,980 But... (clears throat) 564 00:27:29,772 --> 00:27:31,146 we didn't know. 565 00:27:34,647 --> 00:27:36,563 Rataczak: I guess I said something about, 566 00:27:36,647 --> 00:27:39,480 "Oh goody. Maybe he wants to go to Acapulco. 567 00:27:39,563 --> 00:27:40,855 (laughs) 568 00:27:40,939 --> 00:27:43,313 That beats Seattle on a rainy night." 569 00:27:43,396 --> 00:27:45,355 -(radio chatter) -We got rid of the people. 570 00:27:45,438 --> 00:27:48,021 We got rid of two of the three stewardesses. 571 00:27:48,104 --> 00:27:51,688 We have a supposedly calm... 572 00:27:51,772 --> 00:27:53,271 guy back there, 573 00:27:53,355 --> 00:27:55,271 and Tina is still there. 574 00:27:57,730 --> 00:28:00,772 Mucklow: I brought him to the back of the airplane. 575 00:28:00,855 --> 00:28:03,396 I was trying to keep him, 576 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:05,605 and probably myself, 577 00:28:05,688 --> 00:28:08,563 grounded (laughs) and calm. 578 00:28:10,313 --> 00:28:14,897 Whenever I could, I tried to engage the intercom, 579 00:28:14,980 --> 00:28:16,772 and I would just leave it engaged, 580 00:28:16,855 --> 00:28:18,855 so the cockpit could hear 581 00:28:18,939 --> 00:28:21,438 some of the conversation that was going on. 582 00:28:23,146 --> 00:28:27,855 So I think they were aware that his anxiety was going up 583 00:28:27,939 --> 00:28:31,521 as the time lapsed. 584 00:28:31,605 --> 00:28:35,104 ♪ ♪ 585 00:28:35,188 --> 00:28:36,980 Rataczak: The hijacker demanded 586 00:28:37,063 --> 00:28:39,605 the airplane flew in at 10,000 feet. 587 00:28:39,688 --> 00:28:42,271 "I want the flaps down and the gear down." 588 00:28:42,355 --> 00:28:45,021 Dower: Do you remember what your reaction in the cockpit 589 00:28:45,104 --> 00:28:47,438 -to those instructions were? -(chiming) 590 00:28:47,521 --> 00:28:48,980 Well, it was quite obvious 591 00:28:49,063 --> 00:28:51,271 he was going to jump out of the airplane. 592 00:28:54,521 --> 00:28:57,605 Rataczak: Our biggest concern was how it was going to fly 593 00:28:57,688 --> 00:28:59,939 when and if he lowered the stairs, 594 00:29:00,021 --> 00:29:03,730 which he seemed like he was intent on doing now. 595 00:29:04,897 --> 00:29:06,730 Mucklow: He wanted me to 596 00:29:07,605 --> 00:29:10,104 open the airstairs. 597 00:29:10,188 --> 00:29:14,563 Rataczak: There is a bulkhead door that opens inward, 598 00:29:14,647 --> 00:29:18,021 and it's very noisy when that door was open. 599 00:29:18,104 --> 00:29:20,563 Mucklow: At that point, he just said, 600 00:29:20,647 --> 00:29:23,772 "I'll do it. You go up front." 601 00:29:23,855 --> 00:29:26,521 Rataczak: And all of a sudden, the cockpit door opens, 602 00:29:26,605 --> 00:29:28,939 and it's Tina. And I said, "Tina, 603 00:29:29,021 --> 00:29:30,480 "I've never been so happy in my life 604 00:29:30,563 --> 00:29:33,313 to see a young lady as you." 605 00:29:33,396 --> 00:29:35,021 -(cranking) -(alarm blaring) 606 00:29:35,104 --> 00:29:37,772 So he's taken over the telephone back there. 607 00:29:37,855 --> 00:29:40,730 So the first thing we hear is 608 00:29:40,813 --> 00:29:44,104 -he's got the door open. -(alarm continues) 609 00:29:44,188 --> 00:29:45,939 Now it gets really noisy. 610 00:29:46,021 --> 00:29:48,813 -(rattling loudly) -And so, 611 00:29:48,897 --> 00:29:51,355 he's... 612 00:29:51,438 --> 00:29:54,104 (PA, distorted): "I can't get the, the stairs down. 613 00:29:54,188 --> 00:29:57,355 I can't get the stairs down. The stairs won't open up." 614 00:29:57,438 --> 00:29:59,063 (undistorted, imitates wind) All this noise. 615 00:29:59,146 --> 00:30:02,063 Because the stairs will not come down 616 00:30:02,146 --> 00:30:04,605 all the way because there's too much wind. 617 00:30:04,688 --> 00:30:06,480 ♪ ♪ 618 00:30:06,563 --> 00:30:09,688 We slowed the airplane down, and I got on the phone then and said, 619 00:30:09,772 --> 00:30:12,230 "Alright, now you should be able to lower the stairs." 620 00:30:12,313 --> 00:30:15,605 -(wind blowing) -(alarm blaring) 621 00:30:17,897 --> 00:30:19,813 (mechanical whirring) 622 00:30:19,897 --> 00:30:22,230 Then we got a big bump. 623 00:30:22,313 --> 00:30:26,021 -(loud bang) -Rataczak: We felt those stairs 624 00:30:26,104 --> 00:30:29,271 bounce back and closed, 625 00:30:29,355 --> 00:30:31,480 and we felt a pressure bump in our ears. 626 00:30:31,563 --> 00:30:34,813 -(engines whining) -(rattling, wind blowing) 627 00:30:39,188 --> 00:30:42,271 Anderson: Bill turned around and said, 628 00:30:42,355 --> 00:30:44,939 and he said this over the air... 629 00:30:45,021 --> 00:30:46,772 Mark your screens 630 00:30:46,855 --> 00:30:49,647 'cause I think our friend just took leave of us. 631 00:30:49,730 --> 00:30:52,897 -(rattling) -(alarm blaring) 632 00:31:00,939 --> 00:31:04,063 (alarm fades away) 633 00:31:06,313 --> 00:31:08,939 ♪ ♪ 634 00:31:09,021 --> 00:31:11,063 (traffic noise) 635 00:31:13,980 --> 00:31:16,230 Fuhriman: Seattle had just gone through what they called 636 00:31:16,313 --> 00:31:18,313 the Great Boeing Bust. 637 00:31:18,396 --> 00:31:21,313 It was a Boeing town largely. 638 00:31:21,396 --> 00:31:25,605 And so, when Boeing laid off something like 60,000 people, 639 00:31:25,688 --> 00:31:29,146 it just devastated the whole city. 640 00:31:32,396 --> 00:31:34,855 Man: This is in anticipation 641 00:31:34,939 --> 00:31:38,230 of early direction from the Department of Transportation 642 00:31:38,313 --> 00:31:40,271 to close the program down. 643 00:31:43,063 --> 00:31:46,146 Fuhriman: The economy was hurting. 644 00:31:46,230 --> 00:31:48,230 In fact, there was a billboard that we saw 645 00:31:48,313 --> 00:31:50,313 when we drove into town that said, 646 00:31:50,396 --> 00:31:54,104 "Will the last person out of Seattle turn out the lights." 647 00:31:56,855 --> 00:31:59,855 Gray: You think about the time in which the jump took place. 648 00:32:01,230 --> 00:32:02,313 Poverty. 649 00:32:02,396 --> 00:32:04,855 People, especially in the Pacific Northwest, 650 00:32:04,939 --> 00:32:06,396 were losing their jobs. 651 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:08,355 They're losing their jobs to big machines. 652 00:32:08,438 --> 00:32:10,939 They're losing their jobs to corporations. 653 00:32:11,021 --> 00:32:12,230 (clicking) 654 00:32:12,313 --> 00:32:15,813 So along comes Cooper, who sticks it to everybody, 655 00:32:15,897 --> 00:32:18,813 and walks away with the cash scot-free. 656 00:32:18,897 --> 00:32:21,104 And so, I think the Robin Hood element 657 00:32:21,188 --> 00:32:23,897 represented an act of defiance. 658 00:32:23,980 --> 00:32:26,146 I think he's one of the slickest cats that ever walked 659 00:32:26,230 --> 00:32:27,563 on the face of the Earth right now. 660 00:32:27,647 --> 00:32:29,313 -Reporter: You think he's sort of a hero? -Oh, sure. 661 00:32:29,396 --> 00:32:32,146 I just think that any time that a fellow's got this much nerve, 662 00:32:32,230 --> 00:32:33,813 and is successful this far that 663 00:32:33,897 --> 00:32:35,480 everybody's kinda rooting for him a little bit. 664 00:32:35,563 --> 00:32:38,647 But, uh, the man's beat the system so to speak a little bit. 665 00:32:38,730 --> 00:32:42,063 And I respect a man who takes his time 666 00:32:42,146 --> 00:32:44,146 to do a job well done. 667 00:32:44,230 --> 00:32:45,563 (clicking) 668 00:32:45,647 --> 00:32:47,730 Gray: The cult of Cooper started 669 00:32:47,813 --> 00:32:50,480 before the plane even landed. 670 00:32:52,772 --> 00:32:55,396 Even though it was a crime, there's a whole community 671 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,855 of people who are obsessed with this story. 672 00:32:57,939 --> 00:33:00,897 ♪ ♪ 673 00:33:00,980 --> 00:33:03,605 (birds chirping) 674 00:33:03,688 --> 00:33:06,647 Jerry Thomas: I started walking these woods 675 00:33:06,730 --> 00:33:08,396 back in 1988. 676 00:33:09,605 --> 00:33:14,313 That's about 31 years now total. 677 00:33:14,396 --> 00:33:16,438 Dower: How much area have you covered? 678 00:33:16,521 --> 00:33:19,271 Oh, more than I care to remember. 679 00:33:19,355 --> 00:33:21,688 (birds chirping) 680 00:33:21,772 --> 00:33:25,271 Dower: And how would you describe the terrain? 681 00:33:25,355 --> 00:33:27,146 Thomas: Oh, man. 682 00:33:27,230 --> 00:33:30,021 Gotta be some of the roughest terrain on Earth. 683 00:33:33,855 --> 00:33:37,063 You're not gonna be looking for a body at this point. 684 00:33:37,146 --> 00:33:41,772 At this point, you're gonna be looking for a parachute. 685 00:33:41,855 --> 00:33:43,897 That's what you're looking for. 686 00:33:45,355 --> 00:33:49,313 Dower: So you've spent 31 years looking, 687 00:33:49,396 --> 00:33:52,605 not for DB Cooper, but for his parachute. 688 00:33:52,688 --> 00:33:54,897 Thomas: Right. 689 00:33:54,980 --> 00:33:57,271 He didn't make it out alive that night. 690 00:33:57,355 --> 00:34:00,230 That's an impossible thing for him to do. He died that night. 691 00:34:00,313 --> 00:34:03,396 -Dower: You believe. -I know. 692 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:05,813 I served in the military for 20 years. 693 00:34:05,897 --> 00:34:08,021 I enjoyed it. I miss it, 694 00:34:08,104 --> 00:34:10,230 basically. 695 00:34:11,355 --> 00:34:12,313 That's about it. 696 00:34:12,396 --> 00:34:14,772 -Dower: Vietnam? -Yeah. 697 00:34:14,855 --> 00:34:16,647 -Dower: Special Forces? -Thomas: Yeah. 698 00:34:16,730 --> 00:34:18,230 ♪ ♪ 699 00:34:18,313 --> 00:34:20,855 I got out of the military, and I didn't really... 700 00:34:21,980 --> 00:34:24,605 I just didn't fit in. 701 00:34:26,188 --> 00:34:29,605 I withdrew. I lived off the grid for 10 years. 702 00:34:29,688 --> 00:34:34,688 I didn't really care that much to be around a lot of people. 703 00:34:34,772 --> 00:34:36,647 Dower: And what do you think about when you're, 704 00:34:36,730 --> 00:34:40,688 you know, walking the woods out here? 705 00:34:40,772 --> 00:34:44,313 Thomas: Actually, not really much of anything. Just a blank mind 706 00:34:44,396 --> 00:34:47,855 to keep my, um, train of thought 707 00:34:47,939 --> 00:34:52,104 as to what's beneath my feet. 708 00:34:52,188 --> 00:34:54,855 Dower: If he died out here, would you not have found him? 709 00:34:54,939 --> 00:34:56,772 Thomas: No, not necessarily. 710 00:34:56,855 --> 00:35:00,188 There was a man that crashed his aircraft up here. 711 00:35:00,271 --> 00:35:03,188 A hunter found his skull 712 00:35:03,271 --> 00:35:06,063 and parts of the aircraft 60 years later. 713 00:35:06,146 --> 00:35:07,772 Now, you tell me. 714 00:35:09,230 --> 00:35:10,647 (chirping) 715 00:35:10,730 --> 00:35:12,730 I just would like to see this case solved. 716 00:35:12,813 --> 00:35:15,230 I don't care who solves it. 717 00:35:15,313 --> 00:35:18,563 But, um, oh, yeah, I'll keep looking. 718 00:35:22,313 --> 00:35:26,021 Dower: How would it be possible for him to land without any trace? 719 00:35:28,271 --> 00:35:30,063 You know... 720 00:35:30,146 --> 00:35:33,813 in that area of the country... 721 00:35:33,897 --> 00:35:36,521 under good conditions, or even under bad conditions 722 00:35:36,605 --> 00:35:38,021 like the ones he jumped in, 723 00:35:38,104 --> 00:35:40,647 if he were able to hit an open space 724 00:35:40,730 --> 00:35:43,021 and land and recover the parachute, 725 00:35:43,104 --> 00:35:45,063 get up and walk away, 726 00:35:45,146 --> 00:35:47,396 it's very possible. 727 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,355 There were other episodes that followed, one in particular 728 00:35:50,438 --> 00:35:52,355 involving a guy named Richard McCoy 729 00:35:52,438 --> 00:35:54,438 where he did a similar thing, where he jumped 730 00:35:54,521 --> 00:35:58,021 out of an airplane and was able to survive. 731 00:35:58,104 --> 00:36:01,188 ♪ ♪ 732 00:36:04,438 --> 00:36:07,188 (traffic noise) 733 00:36:11,939 --> 00:36:13,104 (thunder rumbling) 734 00:36:13,188 --> 00:36:16,813 Dower: How did you know Richard Floyd McCoy? 735 00:36:16,897 --> 00:36:20,271 Anjewierden: We were in the National Guard together. 736 00:36:20,355 --> 00:36:22,897 I was in the Special Forces, 737 00:36:22,980 --> 00:36:26,855 and he was in the engineers, but quite often, 738 00:36:26,939 --> 00:36:28,772 he'd come and fly with us. 739 00:36:30,021 --> 00:36:32,396 And McCoy was a fun one to fly with. 740 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,104 He was very adventurous. 741 00:36:36,355 --> 00:36:39,563 He was a Mormon, and he was... 742 00:36:40,939 --> 00:36:44,605 a group leader in Vietnam. 743 00:36:44,688 --> 00:36:47,730 Dower: And he was a war hero as well, wasn't he? 744 00:36:47,813 --> 00:36:52,063 I understand that he had received quite a few... 745 00:36:52,146 --> 00:36:53,480 medals in Vietnam. 746 00:36:53,563 --> 00:36:58,772 And McCoy ended up being my roommate. 747 00:36:58,855 --> 00:37:02,521 And he talked an awful lot about hijacking. 748 00:37:02,605 --> 00:37:04,813 (quiet chatter) 749 00:37:04,897 --> 00:37:07,772 You've gotta remember 750 00:37:07,855 --> 00:37:10,605 that I was a Special Forces officer. 751 00:37:10,688 --> 00:37:13,688 And in there, we would plan raids, 752 00:37:13,772 --> 00:37:16,021 and ambushes, 753 00:37:16,104 --> 00:37:19,104 and in this case, we just carried it 754 00:37:19,188 --> 00:37:21,980 a little further. "What would you do?" 755 00:37:22,063 --> 00:37:25,521 ♪ ♪ 756 00:37:25,605 --> 00:37:27,313 We did some brainstorming, 757 00:37:27,396 --> 00:37:30,688 and we would discuss things like... 758 00:37:30,772 --> 00:37:33,939 that you come in disguise? 759 00:37:34,021 --> 00:37:35,521 Things like that. 760 00:37:35,605 --> 00:37:36,855 Dower: So would you act out 761 00:37:36,939 --> 00:37:39,313 scenarios of how you would do it? 762 00:37:39,396 --> 00:37:40,730 (chuckles) 763 00:37:40,813 --> 00:37:43,188 I guess that's basically it. 764 00:37:43,271 --> 00:37:46,688 Trust me. I wasn't serious at all. 765 00:37:46,772 --> 00:37:48,939 Dower: So these conversations came up 766 00:37:49,021 --> 00:37:51,355 after the DB Cooper hijacking. 767 00:37:51,438 --> 00:37:53,688 Anjewierden: Right. He would 768 00:37:53,772 --> 00:37:55,688 appear to be fascinated with it 769 00:37:55,772 --> 00:37:58,313 because DB Cooper had-- 770 00:37:58,396 --> 00:38:01,355 had already done his thing then, see. 771 00:38:01,438 --> 00:38:03,521 ♪ 772 00:38:06,647 --> 00:38:09,813 Nick O'Hara: McCoy, using the name James Johnson, 773 00:38:09,897 --> 00:38:12,688 boarded a flight to Colorado, 774 00:38:12,772 --> 00:38:15,772 then to LA. And in the process, 775 00:38:15,855 --> 00:38:17,855 produced a note, 776 00:38:17,939 --> 00:38:19,605 a handgun, a grenade, 777 00:38:19,688 --> 00:38:21,813 and demanded a half-million bucks. 778 00:38:21,897 --> 00:38:23,230 ♪ ♪ 779 00:38:23,313 --> 00:38:27,396 He basically followed the instructions that 780 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:30,897 Dan Cooper had given in Seattle. 781 00:38:30,980 --> 00:38:33,438 Not to say that they're the same person and not that 782 00:38:33,521 --> 00:38:35,230 McCoy didn't go to school on Cooper, 783 00:38:35,313 --> 00:38:37,313 but there is such 784 00:38:37,396 --> 00:38:41,104 a remarkable, um... 785 00:38:41,188 --> 00:38:43,355 pattern that's followed in 786 00:38:43,438 --> 00:38:46,647 the McCoy that was used in the Cooper case 787 00:38:46,730 --> 00:38:50,230 that people say you could almost overlay them. 788 00:38:50,313 --> 00:38:52,855 Reporter: The young man wanted $500,000 789 00:38:52,939 --> 00:38:55,021 and requested four parachutes. 790 00:38:55,104 --> 00:38:57,188 ♪ ♪ 791 00:38:57,271 --> 00:38:59,063 O'Hara: So once he gets airborne, 792 00:38:59,146 --> 00:39:02,730 he is aware now how to redeploy the rear airstairs. 793 00:39:02,813 --> 00:39:05,271 Which the first aircraft hijacking, 794 00:39:05,355 --> 00:39:07,939 Cooper had to have help doing that. 795 00:39:08,021 --> 00:39:11,271 McCoy deploys the airstairs, bails out, 796 00:39:11,355 --> 00:39:13,897 lands near Provo. 797 00:39:13,980 --> 00:39:16,438 Anjewierden: I was right here, 798 00:39:16,521 --> 00:39:19,396 and I discussed with the wife. 799 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:21,605 "I wonder if that's McCoy?" 800 00:39:22,980 --> 00:39:25,355 And called the FBI. 801 00:39:27,855 --> 00:39:30,104 Then they went to his house, 802 00:39:30,188 --> 00:39:33,396 searched it, and found 803 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,188 half a million dollars up in the attic. 804 00:39:37,313 --> 00:39:39,605 Minus $20. 805 00:39:39,688 --> 00:39:42,271 He'd pulled a $20 bill off 806 00:39:42,355 --> 00:39:44,313 for lunch. 807 00:39:44,396 --> 00:39:46,230 Reporter: He was arrested here in his home 808 00:39:46,313 --> 00:39:48,980 in Provo, Utah, early this morning. 809 00:39:49,063 --> 00:39:51,980 He was dressed for a National Guard drill today. 810 00:39:52,063 --> 00:39:55,563 And when the FBI men came, he did not resist. 811 00:39:55,647 --> 00:39:57,438 ♪ ♪ 812 00:39:57,521 --> 00:39:59,730 Anjewierden: I think he knew the jig was up. 813 00:40:01,855 --> 00:40:03,855 And he told me... 814 00:40:03,939 --> 00:40:06,396 "You know, some of that money was for you." 815 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:08,688 You know? 816 00:40:08,772 --> 00:40:10,647 Well, shoot, you shoulda told me! 817 00:40:13,063 --> 00:40:15,480 And I'll be honest... 818 00:40:15,563 --> 00:40:18,688 I felt like I'd betrayed him. 819 00:40:18,772 --> 00:40:21,605 But I knew it was the right thing to do. 820 00:40:24,980 --> 00:40:29,521 This is the sketch of DB Cooper 821 00:40:29,605 --> 00:40:32,021 from witnesses on the aircraft. 822 00:40:34,063 --> 00:40:36,647 And this is an arrest photograph 823 00:40:36,730 --> 00:40:39,146 of Richard McCoy. 824 00:40:39,230 --> 00:40:40,396 And... 825 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:43,271 people can look at that and form their own conclusions. 826 00:40:44,813 --> 00:40:47,313 You think McCoy looks like Cooper? 827 00:40:49,146 --> 00:40:52,188 -(engines roaring) -(radio chatter) 828 00:40:52,271 --> 00:40:54,230 (tires screech) 829 00:40:59,563 --> 00:41:01,688 Dower: And so you finally land in Reno. 830 00:41:02,563 --> 00:41:03,980 Yes, we do, John. 831 00:41:04,063 --> 00:41:08,563 ♪ ♪ 832 00:41:08,647 --> 00:41:11,438 We got off the airplane. We hugged each other, 833 00:41:11,521 --> 00:41:15,063 and there's a great sigh of relief. 834 00:41:15,146 --> 00:41:18,396 Mucklow: It really wasn't until I got in the FBI car 835 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:22,104 that I think the aftermath hit me. 836 00:41:23,396 --> 00:41:27,396 As I sat down and then Bill got in the car, 837 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:30,146 I just burst into tears, 838 00:41:30,230 --> 00:41:32,980 and just sobbed for a couple minutes, you know. 839 00:41:33,063 --> 00:41:35,188 That was kinda the release of it all. 840 00:41:35,271 --> 00:41:37,939 (inaudible) 841 00:41:38,021 --> 00:41:39,897 -Dower: But it was over. -Rataczak: Well, 842 00:41:39,980 --> 00:41:42,897 um, it was what... 843 00:41:43,688 --> 00:41:45,271 (clicks tongue) 844 00:41:49,188 --> 00:41:53,146 Young Rataczak: We felt, in this specific situation, 845 00:41:53,230 --> 00:41:56,939 that we had his confidence. We felt he... 846 00:41:57,021 --> 00:42:00,605 was assured that we were honoring his requests... 847 00:42:00,688 --> 00:42:04,396 and therefore, we made no attempt to impede his... 848 00:42:05,605 --> 00:42:08,480 the completion of his mission, if you will. 849 00:42:08,563 --> 00:42:11,897 He was not nervous. He seemed rather nice. 850 00:42:11,980 --> 00:42:14,480 He never tried to harm myself 851 00:42:14,563 --> 00:42:18,396 and although he was impatient a few times, 852 00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:21,563 he was never cruel or nasty or, 853 00:42:21,647 --> 00:42:25,980 um, impolite to me in any way. 854 00:42:26,063 --> 00:42:28,563 Anderson: They wanted to get the airplane to Seattle 855 00:42:28,647 --> 00:42:29,897 as soon as they could 856 00:42:29,980 --> 00:42:33,855 because they still had the passenger baggage onboard. 857 00:42:34,897 --> 00:42:37,146 We boarded up the backstairs, 858 00:42:37,230 --> 00:42:39,855 and came on, and we hear cheers 859 00:42:39,939 --> 00:42:42,188 and clapping. (laughs) 860 00:42:43,271 --> 00:42:45,480 That makes me emotional. I'm sorry. 861 00:42:45,563 --> 00:42:47,480 ♪ ♪ 862 00:42:47,563 --> 00:42:50,271 There's a huge manhunt on in the state of Washington 863 00:42:50,355 --> 00:42:53,104 for the middle-aged man who hijacked a jetliner 864 00:42:53,188 --> 00:42:56,188 and got $200,000 in ransom money, 865 00:42:56,271 --> 00:42:58,772 then escaped by parachuting into the night 866 00:42:58,855 --> 00:43:00,438 from the hijacked plane. 867 00:43:00,521 --> 00:43:03,063 Reporter 1: They're looking around here because the hijacked crew 868 00:43:03,146 --> 00:43:05,271 felt a bump as they flew over here. 869 00:43:05,355 --> 00:43:07,730 Perhaps the hijacker jumping out. 870 00:43:07,813 --> 00:43:09,688 Reporter 2: The morning after the skyjack, 871 00:43:09,772 --> 00:43:11,188 the FBI launched NORJAK, 872 00:43:11,271 --> 00:43:13,855 the codename for the biggest manhunt 873 00:43:13,939 --> 00:43:16,188 the Portland office had ever seen. 874 00:43:16,271 --> 00:43:17,772 The FBI had enlisted the aid 875 00:43:17,855 --> 00:43:20,772 of an Army battalion, the local police, 876 00:43:20,855 --> 00:43:22,313 and even the Boy Scouts. 877 00:43:22,396 --> 00:43:25,104 Reporter 3: So, the searchers set out to scour an area 878 00:43:25,188 --> 00:43:27,355 about five miles long and one mile wide, 879 00:43:27,438 --> 00:43:29,313 where they felt they had the best chances 880 00:43:29,396 --> 00:43:31,355 of finding something. They don't know his real name. 881 00:43:31,438 --> 00:43:33,980 They probably wouldn't know him if they saw him, 882 00:43:34,063 --> 00:43:35,647 and he had a big head start. 883 00:43:35,730 --> 00:43:38,813 ♪ 884 00:43:44,605 --> 00:43:47,605 Smith: Well, you're in Cooper country, so welcome. 885 00:43:50,271 --> 00:43:53,855 -Dower: Is this also where you do your writing? -Smith: Yes. Right here, baby. 886 00:43:53,939 --> 00:43:55,313 This is action central. 887 00:43:55,396 --> 00:43:58,605 We are sitting in the center of my world. 888 00:43:58,688 --> 00:44:00,855 Dower: And this is where you wrote your book... 889 00:44:00,939 --> 00:44:02,772 -Yep. -"DB Cooper & the FBI"? 890 00:44:02,855 --> 00:44:04,647 Correct. Right here. 891 00:44:04,730 --> 00:44:07,813 ♪ ♪ 892 00:44:08,772 --> 00:44:10,480 (helicopter whirring) 893 00:44:10,563 --> 00:44:12,230 Reporter: An FBI spokesman in Portland, 894 00:44:12,313 --> 00:44:14,104 who declined an on-camera interview, 895 00:44:14,188 --> 00:44:16,230 said his agents are checking for clues 896 00:44:16,313 --> 00:44:18,355 and circulating a composite picture 897 00:44:18,438 --> 00:44:22,188 in a 200-mile corridor south to the California border. 898 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:30,021 (birds chirping) 899 00:44:31,730 --> 00:44:34,772 Smith: Where do we go looking for DB Cooper? 900 00:44:34,855 --> 00:44:36,521 They're asking Northwest Orient, 901 00:44:36,605 --> 00:44:38,104 "Where was your plane when Cooper jumped?" 902 00:44:38,188 --> 00:44:39,980 "Well, we don't know where the plane was, 903 00:44:40,063 --> 00:44:42,271 "but we know it was 8:13 in the evening. 904 00:44:42,355 --> 00:44:44,480 It would've been around here somewhere." 905 00:44:44,563 --> 00:44:46,480 Well, around here is about 906 00:44:46,563 --> 00:44:49,605 20 to 25 miles of woods. 907 00:44:49,688 --> 00:44:53,396 So Cooper had 40 hours lead 908 00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:56,730 before anybody was on the ground looking for him. 909 00:44:56,813 --> 00:44:59,897 ♪ ♪ 910 00:45:02,146 --> 00:45:04,772 Fuhriman: And they brought in some military people, 911 00:45:04,855 --> 00:45:08,396 as well as FBI agents. There were a lot of people 912 00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:10,396 searching the mountain area for him, 913 00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:13,104 or for any remains of whatever might be there. 914 00:45:13,188 --> 00:45:14,480 (helicopter whirring) 915 00:45:14,563 --> 00:45:16,355 Trooper: He either got away, or else he sure made 916 00:45:16,438 --> 00:45:17,897 a big hole in the ground up there. 917 00:45:17,980 --> 00:45:19,605 And if he made a hole in the ground, 918 00:45:19,688 --> 00:45:21,688 he's gonna be hard to find also. 919 00:45:21,772 --> 00:45:23,313 Fuhriman: I think there's a good chance 920 00:45:23,396 --> 00:45:26,271 that he hit a tree or a rock 921 00:45:26,355 --> 00:45:30,647 or fell in a body of water and died. 922 00:45:30,730 --> 00:45:34,396 I also think he might've known enough about what he was doing 923 00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:37,521 that he was able to steer himself into an area 924 00:45:37,605 --> 00:45:41,230 where he could land and get out and go. 925 00:45:41,313 --> 00:45:43,813 ♪ ♪ 926 00:45:43,897 --> 00:45:47,188 Mitchell: I had FBI over for probably over a year, 927 00:45:47,271 --> 00:45:49,271 two or three times 928 00:45:49,355 --> 00:45:51,438 a week, with pictures. 929 00:45:51,521 --> 00:45:54,605 I mean, they'd always come with 10 pictures. 930 00:45:55,772 --> 00:45:57,396 (clicking) 931 00:45:57,480 --> 00:46:00,104 They were making a composite drawing. 932 00:46:00,188 --> 00:46:02,355 Fuhriman: Well, from the composite picture, 933 00:46:02,438 --> 00:46:06,563 he had a slender face and, and, uh... 934 00:46:06,647 --> 00:46:09,688 a Caucasian, maybe dark Caucasian features. 935 00:46:09,772 --> 00:46:11,730 Gray: It was very thin hair to the sides, 936 00:46:11,813 --> 00:46:13,438 almost a little balding. 937 00:46:13,521 --> 00:46:15,188 There was a very thin nose. 938 00:46:15,271 --> 00:46:17,647 There was sunglasses over the eyes, 939 00:46:17,730 --> 00:46:19,396 one without sunglasses, 940 00:46:19,480 --> 00:46:22,146 but how would they know what his eyes looked like? 941 00:46:22,230 --> 00:46:25,480 Fuhriman: Uh, no unusual... 942 00:46:25,563 --> 00:46:28,063 identifying characteristics. 943 00:46:29,813 --> 00:46:32,563 The picture on your left is 944 00:46:32,647 --> 00:46:36,521 the artist's conception of the hijacker. 945 00:46:36,605 --> 00:46:39,355 The picture on the right is a picture of me. 946 00:46:39,438 --> 00:46:42,104 When I got a copy of the sketch, 947 00:46:42,188 --> 00:46:45,313 I sent it to my mother without saying anything about it. 948 00:46:46,396 --> 00:46:48,146 Her comment back to me was, 949 00:46:48,230 --> 00:46:50,230 "Who did that sketch of you? 950 00:46:50,313 --> 00:46:52,688 Looks pretty accurate." (laughs) 951 00:46:52,772 --> 00:46:55,897 And I go, whoa, whoa, whoa! That's not me. 952 00:46:55,980 --> 00:46:59,980 (water lapping) 953 00:47:00,063 --> 00:47:02,939 Smith: Well, I'm one of the few people that put a harsh light, 954 00:47:03,021 --> 00:47:04,605 or I like to think 955 00:47:04,688 --> 00:47:07,271 a strong light, on the FBI. 956 00:47:07,355 --> 00:47:10,021 In 1971, the FBI, 957 00:47:10,104 --> 00:47:11,980 I think fairly, was considered to be 958 00:47:12,063 --> 00:47:14,772 the premier law enforcement agency in the world. 959 00:47:14,855 --> 00:47:19,146 But we now know that bigness does not mean greatness. 960 00:47:19,230 --> 00:47:22,521 And there were a lot of gaps, and a lot of limitations. 961 00:47:22,605 --> 00:47:24,438 Dower: They lost the most valuable piece of evidence. 962 00:47:24,521 --> 00:47:26,146 Oh, they've lost a ton of stuff! 963 00:47:26,230 --> 00:47:28,438 ♪ ♪ 964 00:47:28,521 --> 00:47:30,104 They lost the cigarette butts. 965 00:47:30,188 --> 00:47:33,188 The cigarette butts are probably 966 00:47:33,271 --> 00:47:36,730 the most salient piece of evidence right now 967 00:47:36,813 --> 00:47:39,980 because we now have DNA testing. 968 00:47:43,897 --> 00:47:47,897 -Dower: So what happened to the cigarette butt? -Montoya: Good question. 969 00:47:47,980 --> 00:47:49,855 A very, very good question. 970 00:47:49,939 --> 00:47:54,230 Um, I don't know. I can't answer that question 971 00:47:54,313 --> 00:47:56,438 because I don't know what happened to them. 972 00:47:58,355 --> 00:48:01,146 Dower: Some say they might've been lost. 973 00:48:02,688 --> 00:48:05,855 Montoya: That's always a possibility. 974 00:48:05,939 --> 00:48:09,021 -Dower: Is anyone looking for them? -You know, I, 975 00:48:09,104 --> 00:48:11,438 I think there have been multiple efforts 976 00:48:11,521 --> 00:48:14,188 over the last four decades 977 00:48:14,271 --> 00:48:17,438 to do so, um, but I don't... 978 00:48:18,730 --> 00:48:20,480 I don't know what the answer is to that. 979 00:48:20,563 --> 00:48:23,605 They're-- They weren't available to us, so. 980 00:48:23,688 --> 00:48:25,271 Dower: There were also issues with 981 00:48:25,355 --> 00:48:27,271 the fingerprinting on board the plane after it landed in Reno. 982 00:48:27,355 --> 00:48:30,021 Smith: Oh! What a mess that is. 983 00:48:30,104 --> 00:48:32,480 What a mess. To this day, I don't know 984 00:48:32,563 --> 00:48:35,104 how many fingerprints were recovered. 985 00:48:35,188 --> 00:48:38,104 That is total meshugas! 986 00:48:39,939 --> 00:48:43,521 Dower: I mean, do you think it was fair to say that the FBI 987 00:48:45,063 --> 00:48:48,021 made mistakes in this case? 988 00:48:48,104 --> 00:48:51,521 (chuckles) I don't know what you mean by mistakes. 989 00:48:51,605 --> 00:48:55,438 The FBI worked with the best information available 990 00:48:56,730 --> 00:48:58,438 and used... 991 00:48:58,521 --> 00:49:01,271 the best judgment that they could 992 00:49:01,355 --> 00:49:04,813 get together at the time with the facts they had, 993 00:49:04,897 --> 00:49:07,813 and perhaps there were mistakes made, 994 00:49:07,897 --> 00:49:11,772 which is not that unusual in any investigation. 995 00:49:11,855 --> 00:49:14,980 -(river flowing) -(birds chirping) 996 00:49:15,063 --> 00:49:18,813 Smith: Eight and a half years after the skyjacking, 997 00:49:20,480 --> 00:49:23,021 the FBI had diddly squat. 998 00:49:23,104 --> 00:49:27,480 There was no hard evidence in the DB Cooper case. 999 00:49:27,563 --> 00:49:29,688 No body, no parachute, 1000 00:49:29,772 --> 00:49:31,688 no bomb, no briefcase, 1001 00:49:31,772 --> 00:49:33,605 no Cooper, no money. 1002 00:49:36,104 --> 00:49:37,563 Then, in 1980... 1003 00:49:37,647 --> 00:49:38,813 (birds chirping) 1004 00:49:38,897 --> 00:49:41,104 a kid found three bundles 1005 00:49:41,188 --> 00:49:44,688 on a beach on the Columbia River. 1006 00:49:45,730 --> 00:49:48,271 Oh my God. 1007 00:49:48,355 --> 00:49:51,355 Bob Schieffer: A child has led the FBI to the start of a trail 1008 00:49:51,438 --> 00:49:52,730 it hopes will help them solve 1009 00:49:52,813 --> 00:49:55,480 the eight-and-a-half-year-old mystery of skyjacker 1010 00:49:55,563 --> 00:49:58,897 DB Cooper. The first break in the only unsolved 1011 00:49:58,980 --> 00:50:01,355 airplane hijacking in United States history 1012 00:50:01,438 --> 00:50:03,188 came on a Columbia River beach, 1013 00:50:03,271 --> 00:50:05,563 along the Oregon- Washington border, 1014 00:50:05,647 --> 00:50:08,605 where an 8-year-old boy dug up the shreds of 1015 00:50:08,688 --> 00:50:10,605 $3,000 on Sunday. 1016 00:50:11,897 --> 00:50:14,104 Reporter: How do you feel right now? 1017 00:50:14,188 --> 00:50:17,271 Well, I feel pretty good. 1018 00:50:17,355 --> 00:50:19,605 I'll feel a lot better after we get the money though. 1019 00:50:19,688 --> 00:50:23,355 You know, after it's all over. 1020 00:50:23,438 --> 00:50:27,396 Smith: Now, the story gets a little bit more complicated. 1021 00:50:27,480 --> 00:50:30,563 There's no question that the three bundles of money 1022 00:50:30,647 --> 00:50:33,605 were Cooper's money from the ransom 1023 00:50:33,688 --> 00:50:36,563 because the serial numbers match up. 1024 00:50:37,688 --> 00:50:39,271 But, to this day, 1025 00:50:39,355 --> 00:50:42,521 nobody knows how that money got there. 1026 00:50:42,605 --> 00:50:44,230 Or when. 1027 00:50:44,313 --> 00:50:46,313 How long was it at the beach? 1028 00:50:46,396 --> 00:50:48,313 Money was wet, soggy, 1029 00:50:48,396 --> 00:50:51,271 had holes in it. It was very compressed. 1030 00:50:51,355 --> 00:50:53,355 As if it had been under weight, 1031 00:50:53,438 --> 00:50:55,438 and the paper, the bills, 1032 00:50:55,521 --> 00:50:58,647 were stuck together. When you tried to peel the bills off, 1033 00:50:58,730 --> 00:51:00,396 you'd get chunks. 1034 00:51:00,480 --> 00:51:02,355 Dower: But also the thing about Tina-Bar is 1035 00:51:02,438 --> 00:51:05,313 it's 45 miles south of where DB Cooper 1036 00:51:05,396 --> 00:51:08,021 -supposedly landed. -Yep. 1037 00:51:09,647 --> 00:51:11,188 So how'd the money get there? 1038 00:51:11,271 --> 00:51:15,146 ♪ ♪ 1039 00:51:15,230 --> 00:51:17,980 Reporter 1: Finally, we close tonight with a mystery story. 1040 00:51:18,063 --> 00:51:20,355 It has a villain and a hero, but in this case, 1041 00:51:20,438 --> 00:51:23,855 they may be the same person. A man in a dark suit 1042 00:51:23,939 --> 00:51:27,146 who bought a $20 one-way plane ticket 1043 00:51:27,230 --> 00:51:28,813 from Seattle to Portland... 1044 00:51:28,897 --> 00:51:31,647 Weber: I'm gonna go smoke this, or part of it anyway. 1045 00:51:35,021 --> 00:51:37,230 Reporter 2: At age 60, Jo Weber admits 1046 00:51:37,313 --> 00:51:39,772 she fell in love and fell hard 1047 00:51:39,855 --> 00:51:43,730 for a slick-looking, smooth-talking insurance salesman. 1048 00:51:43,813 --> 00:51:46,605 And since her husband's death in 1995, 1049 00:51:46,688 --> 00:51:49,605 she's pieced together clues dropped over the years. 1050 00:51:49,688 --> 00:51:53,230 In fact, a forensic artist who has worked with the FBI 1051 00:51:53,313 --> 00:51:55,438 says the physical similarities between 1052 00:51:55,521 --> 00:51:57,313 this composite sketch of Cooper 1053 00:51:57,396 --> 00:52:00,313 and a younger Duane Weber are striking. 1054 00:52:00,396 --> 00:52:02,980 What makes you so sure that he's the guy? 1055 00:52:03,063 --> 00:52:06,521 There's too many pieces of the puzzle that fit. 1056 00:52:06,605 --> 00:52:09,730 ♪ ♪ 1057 00:52:13,813 --> 00:52:16,063 Weber: Holy cow. 1058 00:52:16,146 --> 00:52:17,897 I don't know where the albums are. 1059 00:52:17,980 --> 00:52:20,897 They are not where they're supposed to be. 1060 00:52:21,980 --> 00:52:23,647 I'm starting to panic. 1061 00:52:24,939 --> 00:52:27,146 Collins: This happens to me, too, at home. 1062 00:52:27,230 --> 00:52:29,730 Dower: Remind me how you two know each other. 1063 00:52:29,813 --> 00:52:32,730 Collins: I grew up about five miles from where 1064 00:52:32,813 --> 00:52:37,188 DB Cooper jumped, so I was curious about 1065 00:52:37,271 --> 00:52:39,563 what happened, and contacted Jo, 1066 00:52:39,647 --> 00:52:43,647 and we've been talking ever since. 1067 00:52:43,730 --> 00:52:46,271 -Weber: Okay. Yeah. -Collins: Right there, Sentimental journey. 1068 00:52:46,355 --> 00:52:48,521 -Collins: Right there. -Weber: Yeah. We got it. 1069 00:52:48,605 --> 00:52:51,438 Well, he's like a son to me. 1070 00:52:51,521 --> 00:52:53,939 I mean, he has been... 1071 00:52:54,021 --> 00:52:56,813 been there when no one else could give me answers. 1072 00:52:56,897 --> 00:52:59,063 He's brilliant. He sees things 1073 00:52:59,146 --> 00:53:02,730 that other people can't see like this. 1074 00:53:02,813 --> 00:53:05,271 This was the wallet that we found 1075 00:53:05,355 --> 00:53:09,146 in the vehicle after he died. 1076 00:53:09,230 --> 00:53:12,230 -Dower: So that's the driving license? -Weber: This one is a fake one. 1077 00:53:12,313 --> 00:53:15,396 -Dower: John Carson Collins. -Weber: I did not know 1078 00:53:15,480 --> 00:53:18,021 who that was, but that was his picture on there. 1079 00:53:18,104 --> 00:53:19,730 Dower: So was his real name 1080 00:53:19,813 --> 00:53:22,271 John Carson Collins or Duane Weber? 1081 00:53:22,355 --> 00:53:24,396 Weber: Duane Weber. 1082 00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:26,563 But he'd gone and gotten fake IDs. 1083 00:53:26,647 --> 00:53:29,980 -Dower: That's all the different IDs. -Collins: Yes. Yeah. 1084 00:53:30,063 --> 00:53:32,104 What was all this about? 1085 00:53:32,188 --> 00:53:34,730 And then to find out that he had actually been 1086 00:53:34,813 --> 00:53:38,355 in prison under the name of John C. Collins. 1087 00:53:38,438 --> 00:53:40,521 These are in a very, very old criminal file. 1088 00:53:40,605 --> 00:53:42,521 -Reporter: This is your husband in prison? -Weber: Yes. 1089 00:53:42,605 --> 00:53:45,730 Reporter: A man who she now knows lived a lie, 1090 00:53:45,813 --> 00:53:48,563 and may have kept a secret of legendary proportions. 1091 00:53:48,647 --> 00:53:51,772 Collins: This tax return really meant something to me. 1092 00:53:51,855 --> 00:53:55,939 Right after the crime, Duane purchased two cars. 1093 00:53:56,021 --> 00:53:58,146 Brand new, paid cash. 1094 00:53:58,230 --> 00:54:00,563 He made that year 1095 00:54:00,647 --> 00:54:03,563 little more than $1,000. He didn't have that much money. 1096 00:54:03,647 --> 00:54:05,396 He buys two new cars right after the crime. 1097 00:54:05,480 --> 00:54:07,897 I mean, it was like... 1098 00:54:07,980 --> 00:54:10,063 a great, big puzzle! 1099 00:54:10,146 --> 00:54:11,939 It bugged the hell out of me, 1100 00:54:12,021 --> 00:54:14,772 and it still bugs the hell out of me. 1101 00:54:14,855 --> 00:54:19,438 He handed over his will to her in the hospital, 1102 00:54:19,521 --> 00:54:22,396 with a safety deposit key taped to the will. 1103 00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:25,563 The one that you were able to open, you found this. 1104 00:54:25,647 --> 00:54:29,063 Dower: Strange thing to leave in a safety deposit box, isn't it? 1105 00:54:29,146 --> 00:54:32,730 Why would a guy who confessed to DB Cooper have this magazine? 1106 00:54:33,897 --> 00:54:35,521 And my jaw drops. 1107 00:54:35,605 --> 00:54:37,939 "The Man Who Held the Secrets." 1108 00:54:38,021 --> 00:54:39,772 -That's Duane. -(Weber laughs) 1109 00:54:39,855 --> 00:54:42,146 Collins: What secrets... 1110 00:54:42,230 --> 00:54:44,146 did we miss? What did we miss? 1111 00:54:45,897 --> 00:54:48,271 Weber: That's Duane up there. 1112 00:54:48,355 --> 00:54:50,188 Dower: It's a very pretty urn. 1113 00:54:50,271 --> 00:54:52,897 Well, I figured, you know, 1114 00:54:52,980 --> 00:54:55,355 we'll be together again one day. 1115 00:54:55,438 --> 00:54:59,355 So, when they bury me, that gets buried same time. 1116 00:55:00,897 --> 00:55:03,188 Dower: So you married Duane Weber. 1117 00:55:03,271 --> 00:55:07,355 He then tells you on his death bed that he's Dan Cooper, 1118 00:55:07,438 --> 00:55:09,563 and then a few months later, 1119 00:55:09,647 --> 00:55:11,897 you find a wallet in which 1120 00:55:11,980 --> 00:55:14,939 -a driving license says he's John Collins. -Mm-hmm. 1121 00:55:15,021 --> 00:55:17,188 You then started having these memories, 1122 00:55:17,271 --> 00:55:19,438 strange things that Duane told you, 1123 00:55:19,521 --> 00:55:21,939 places he took you. 1124 00:55:22,021 --> 00:55:24,438 The picture fell together. 1125 00:55:24,521 --> 00:55:27,605 ♪ ♪ 1126 00:55:29,355 --> 00:55:32,521 (insects chirping) 1127 00:55:35,396 --> 00:55:39,063 Weber: We had a convention in Seattle. 1128 00:55:39,146 --> 00:55:42,521 And he said, "I want to go, uh... 1129 00:55:42,605 --> 00:55:44,230 a few days early." 1130 00:55:46,521 --> 00:55:49,188 He showed me an awful lot of things 1131 00:55:49,271 --> 00:55:52,897 and I never did ask a lot of questions. 1132 00:55:55,855 --> 00:55:58,271 One point he stopped at 1133 00:55:58,355 --> 00:56:00,813 was not too far from Lake Merwin. 1134 00:56:00,897 --> 00:56:03,897 And he pointed about at a place, 1135 00:56:03,980 --> 00:56:06,897 and he said something about, "That's where Cooper 1136 00:56:06,980 --> 00:56:09,855 walked out of the woods." And I didn't know who Cooper was. 1137 00:56:16,647 --> 00:56:20,855 Dower: You basically went on a trip to the DB Cooper drop zone. 1138 00:56:22,271 --> 00:56:24,647 Weber: I labeled it "the sentimental journey" 1139 00:56:24,730 --> 00:56:26,605 because of all the places he wanted to go to, 1140 00:56:26,688 --> 00:56:30,021 the places he took me to, the places he disappeared. 1141 00:56:30,104 --> 00:56:33,188 ♪ ♪ 1142 00:56:48,772 --> 00:56:51,605 Dower: Not long after Duane's deathbed confession, 1143 00:56:51,688 --> 00:56:54,521 she started having these memories, 1144 00:56:54,605 --> 00:56:56,230 and even pointed to the woods 1145 00:56:56,313 --> 00:56:58,188 and says, "That's where Cooper walked out." 1146 00:56:58,271 --> 00:57:01,855 Collins: Right. So, she remembered the journey, 1147 00:57:01,939 --> 00:57:04,521 but she didn't know its significance 1148 00:57:04,605 --> 00:57:06,813 until she later... 1149 00:57:06,897 --> 00:57:09,438 understood who Dan Cooper was. 1150 00:57:09,521 --> 00:57:11,688 Dower: That's kind of your role with Jo, isn't it? 1151 00:57:11,772 --> 00:57:13,647 You sort of help put her memories 1152 00:57:13,730 --> 00:57:15,939 into some sort of order or... 1153 00:57:16,021 --> 00:57:18,688 I would say so. 1154 00:57:18,772 --> 00:57:21,980 I would say even today she doesn't-- she has these memories 1155 00:57:22,063 --> 00:57:24,313 but she doesn't quite understand 1156 00:57:24,396 --> 00:57:27,313 all the significance of different parts of them. 1157 00:57:27,396 --> 00:57:30,647 Whereas I can listen, I'll filter out a lot of it, 1158 00:57:30,730 --> 00:57:33,396 but I can pick out pieces 1159 00:57:33,480 --> 00:57:36,772 that seem, um, relevant. 1160 00:57:36,855 --> 00:57:38,021 ♪ ♪ 1161 00:57:38,104 --> 00:57:40,146 Weber: I remember when he stopped 1162 00:57:40,230 --> 00:57:42,355 at a place on the water. 1163 00:57:42,438 --> 00:57:45,688 There was a little motel at that time 1164 00:57:45,772 --> 00:57:48,688 called the Red Lion. 1165 00:57:48,772 --> 00:57:51,188 What made it significant is 1166 00:57:51,271 --> 00:57:54,313 what happened at the location. 1167 00:57:55,480 --> 00:57:57,063 Weber: The next morning, 1168 00:57:57,146 --> 00:58:00,396 he tells me he's got some place he's gonna go. 1169 00:58:02,563 --> 00:58:05,021 He left 7:00 in the morning. 1170 00:58:05,104 --> 00:58:08,146 It's getting close to checkout time. 1171 00:58:08,230 --> 00:58:10,772 Just about that time, he walks in the door, 1172 00:58:10,855 --> 00:58:13,647 he has to go take a bath. 1173 00:58:15,063 --> 00:58:16,563 He'd been digging in something. 1174 00:58:16,647 --> 00:58:19,396 -And-- -Dower: What made you think he'd been digging? 1175 00:58:20,230 --> 00:58:23,063 'Cause he was dirty! 1176 00:58:23,146 --> 00:58:26,605 He had on dress pants, but his hands were dirty. 1177 00:58:26,688 --> 00:58:29,521 I don't know what he went digging. I don't know where he went. 1178 00:58:29,605 --> 00:58:31,939 While he was cleaning up and I handed him a drink, 1179 00:58:32,021 --> 00:58:33,605 and I still have the picture 1180 00:58:33,688 --> 00:58:37,355 where when I went to take the picture, he gets up, 1181 00:58:37,438 --> 00:58:39,939 and he jumps. "Geronimo!" 1182 00:58:40,021 --> 00:58:41,772 (shutter snaps) 1183 00:58:41,855 --> 00:58:44,021 Like he was jumping, okay? 1184 00:58:44,104 --> 00:58:45,980 I got the picture to prove that 1185 00:58:46,063 --> 00:58:49,188 because I snapped the daggum picture at that time. 1186 00:58:49,271 --> 00:58:50,813 (slide projector clicking) 1187 00:58:50,897 --> 00:58:53,521 ♪ ♪ 1188 00:58:53,605 --> 00:58:54,897 And when he gets into the car, 1189 00:58:54,980 --> 00:58:57,021 I said, "What's in that paper bag?" He says, 1190 00:58:57,104 --> 00:59:00,188 "Oh, just some trash I'm gonna get rid of at the next stop." 1191 00:59:00,271 --> 00:59:03,355 He spent an awful lot of time there, 1192 00:59:03,438 --> 00:59:05,772 just looking out at the water. 1193 00:59:06,813 --> 00:59:10,355 It was odd. It was strange. 1194 00:59:10,438 --> 00:59:12,647 And I said, "What you doing?" He says, 1195 00:59:12,730 --> 00:59:15,605 "Watching that bag go down the river, flow down." 1196 00:59:15,688 --> 00:59:17,021 I hit the ceiling. 1197 00:59:17,104 --> 00:59:19,647 I said, "You littered?! You put what?! 1198 00:59:19,730 --> 00:59:22,563 "You put a bag in the water?! 1199 00:59:23,688 --> 00:59:26,480 A bag of trash in the water?!" 1200 00:59:26,563 --> 00:59:29,396 I was angry because I had been raised, 1201 00:59:29,480 --> 00:59:32,313 you do not contaminate your waterways. 1202 00:59:32,396 --> 00:59:34,688 You do not throw things in there. 1203 00:59:34,772 --> 00:59:37,772 If I had done that, I'd have got the whipping of whippings. 1204 00:59:40,355 --> 00:59:42,438 Collins: He buried the money someplace. 1205 00:59:42,521 --> 00:59:44,104 He left that morning, drove all the way 1206 00:59:44,188 --> 00:59:47,188 to wherever it was he had buried this. 1207 00:59:47,271 --> 00:59:49,021 Located it, dug it up. 1208 00:59:49,104 --> 00:59:51,396 So this is the night when he says "Geronimo," 1209 00:59:51,480 --> 00:59:53,521 and, and she took the picture of him. 1210 00:59:53,605 --> 00:59:56,480 Sift through the money and he's discovered that 1211 00:59:56,563 --> 00:59:58,688 almost all of it's in great condition. 1212 00:59:58,772 --> 01:00:02,688 He's just elated, but some of it's damaged. 1213 01:00:04,021 --> 01:00:06,355 Had he thrown the paper sack into the trash, 1214 01:00:06,438 --> 01:00:08,897 which probably would've been a wiser choice, 1215 01:00:08,980 --> 01:00:10,939 no one would've ever looked inside it, 1216 01:00:11,021 --> 01:00:12,396 no one would ever been the wiser. 1217 01:00:12,480 --> 01:00:15,104 But instead, he threw it in the river, 1218 01:00:15,188 --> 01:00:17,813 which then ultimately was found 1219 01:00:17,897 --> 01:00:20,605 about nine miles away from here. Tina-Bar. 1220 01:00:20,688 --> 01:00:21,980 ♪ ♪ 1221 01:00:22,063 --> 01:00:24,730 Reporter 1: The speculation is endless. For instance, 1222 01:00:24,813 --> 01:00:27,230 is it possible that DB Cooper lived 1223 01:00:27,313 --> 01:00:31,021 and buried some of the money right here, next to the tree? 1224 01:00:32,396 --> 01:00:34,230 Reporter 2: By analyzing the sand, 1225 01:00:34,313 --> 01:00:36,480 geologists hope to learn how several thousand dollars 1226 01:00:36,563 --> 01:00:39,063 in Cooper ransom money arrived here. 1227 01:00:39,146 --> 01:00:41,271 (waves washing ashore) 1228 01:00:41,355 --> 01:00:43,063 Collins: So the FBI, 1229 01:00:43,146 --> 01:00:46,063 they thought, "We don't have the expertise to decide 1230 01:00:46,146 --> 01:00:48,146 when did this money get here." 1231 01:00:48,230 --> 01:00:51,355 They dug trenches three feet down. 1232 01:00:51,438 --> 01:00:53,855 Now, the money was found at the top, 1233 01:00:53,939 --> 01:00:58,521 but there's a dredge layer down in the middle of the trench. 1234 01:00:58,605 --> 01:01:01,897 That dredge layer was from October 1974. 1235 01:01:01,980 --> 01:01:05,063 The money's found above that dredge layer. 1236 01:01:05,146 --> 01:01:07,939 ♪ ♪ 1237 01:01:08,021 --> 01:01:09,855 The crime happened in 1971. 1238 01:01:09,939 --> 01:01:12,063 So if the money got here that night or whatever, 1239 01:01:12,146 --> 01:01:14,271 it should be under 1240 01:01:14,355 --> 01:01:16,730 that identifiable strata in the sand. 1241 01:01:18,063 --> 01:01:20,271 But it wasn't. It was found at the top. 1242 01:01:22,188 --> 01:01:25,521 Reporter: The area where the money was found has been dug and re-dug 1243 01:01:25,605 --> 01:01:28,271 and results of yesterday's geologic survey are 1244 01:01:28,355 --> 01:01:30,271 that the money couldn't have been on this beach 1245 01:01:30,355 --> 01:01:32,313 as long as nine years. 1246 01:01:40,021 --> 01:01:42,480 Dower: So this is a map that you've made, Tim. 1247 01:01:42,563 --> 01:01:45,897 Yeah. Basically, what I wanted to see was the waterways 1248 01:01:45,980 --> 01:01:48,480 in all of the county, where do they go. 1249 01:01:48,563 --> 01:01:51,897 So, if he lands in this area here, 1250 01:01:51,980 --> 01:01:54,188 all the waterways here 1251 01:01:54,271 --> 01:01:55,980 go to the north this way. 1252 01:01:56,063 --> 01:01:58,772 Yet, the money's found down here. 1253 01:01:58,855 --> 01:02:01,271 Well, if you listen to Jo, 1254 01:02:01,355 --> 01:02:04,647 he came back in 1979 1255 01:02:04,730 --> 01:02:07,438 and threw in a paper sack right here. 1256 01:02:08,688 --> 01:02:11,480 And the money drifted around this bend 1257 01:02:11,563 --> 01:02:13,605 and stopped here. 1258 01:02:13,688 --> 01:02:15,647 It explains everything. 1259 01:02:15,730 --> 01:02:18,813 ♪ ♪ 1260 01:02:29,313 --> 01:02:32,396 (rumbling) 1261 01:02:35,104 --> 01:02:38,188 Barbara Dayton used to be Bobby Dayton, 1262 01:02:38,271 --> 01:02:41,688 until 1969, or Robert Elmer Dayton. 1263 01:02:41,772 --> 01:02:43,647 That was my father. 1264 01:02:43,730 --> 01:02:44,813 (click) 1265 01:02:53,438 --> 01:02:54,521 (sniffles) 1266 01:02:56,313 --> 01:02:59,605 Picture of my dad when he was younger, 1267 01:02:59,688 --> 01:03:01,688 with, I guess, his first car 1268 01:03:01,772 --> 01:03:04,813 or something. Doesn't say. 1269 01:03:04,897 --> 01:03:08,355 And this is a picture of my dad at the ranch house. 1270 01:03:11,271 --> 01:03:13,146 He was like a cowboy, 1271 01:03:13,230 --> 01:03:16,480 and my mother thought he looked really sexy. 1272 01:03:17,480 --> 01:03:20,313 But, according to my mother, 1273 01:03:20,396 --> 01:03:22,605 my dad kept dressing in women's clothes. 1274 01:03:22,688 --> 01:03:24,897 He wanted to come out and play cards 1275 01:03:24,980 --> 01:03:26,855 wearing the women's clothes. He'd ask her, 1276 01:03:26,939 --> 01:03:29,396 "Do you mind if I wear your clothes today?" 1277 01:03:29,480 --> 01:03:32,813 And she would say, "Fine." 1278 01:03:32,897 --> 01:03:36,271 But, I think she began looking at him as a friend 1279 01:03:36,355 --> 01:03:39,146 instead of a lover. 1280 01:03:39,230 --> 01:03:42,313 When I had left home, my brother was in Vietnam. 1281 01:03:42,396 --> 01:03:44,104 ♪ ♪ 1282 01:03:44,188 --> 01:03:47,063 But, he died in 1975. 1283 01:03:48,855 --> 01:03:52,813 And I came out to the funeral, 1284 01:03:52,897 --> 01:03:57,563 and my dad flew down in his Cessna 140. 1285 01:03:57,647 --> 01:04:00,563 And I got to meet her 1286 01:04:00,647 --> 01:04:04,230 as a her for the first time. 1287 01:04:05,813 --> 01:04:10,188 And he told me about the surgery and why 1288 01:04:10,271 --> 01:04:12,313 and that he was a freak. 1289 01:04:12,396 --> 01:04:14,021 And I felt bad. I felt really bad 1290 01:04:14,104 --> 01:04:16,647 that he kept calling himself that. 1291 01:04:16,730 --> 01:04:19,104 I was on my way with my cousin. 1292 01:04:19,188 --> 01:04:23,688 We were going to Catheys Valley after the funeral. 1293 01:04:23,772 --> 01:04:25,730 As we were traveling, 1294 01:04:25,813 --> 01:04:28,605 my cousin Billie-Jan said, um, 1295 01:04:28,688 --> 01:04:30,730 "Did you know your dad was DB Cooper?" 1296 01:04:30,813 --> 01:04:34,730 And I said, "No. Who's DB Cooper?" 1297 01:04:34,813 --> 01:04:36,396 ♪ ♪ 1298 01:04:36,480 --> 01:04:41,313 Sharon Power: When the composite sketch came out, 1299 01:04:41,396 --> 01:04:44,230 and her dad saw it, Bill saw it. 1300 01:04:44,313 --> 01:04:48,146 -He said, "That's my brother." -And it scared him. It scared my dad. 1301 01:04:48,230 --> 01:04:50,563 Dower: This was at the actual time of the hijacking? 1302 01:04:50,647 --> 01:04:53,313 Whenever that sketch came out in Bakersfield, California, 1303 01:04:53,396 --> 01:04:55,813 because I remember exactly where we were sitting 'cause it just-- 1304 01:04:55,897 --> 01:04:58,605 We were sitting in a car and it was pouring down rain. 1305 01:04:58,688 --> 01:05:00,855 He was reading the paper, like he always did and he goes, 1306 01:05:00,939 --> 01:05:03,188 "That's Bobby." And just like that. 1307 01:05:03,271 --> 01:05:07,563 And I could tell he was afraid, you know? 1308 01:05:07,647 --> 01:05:09,855 And, uh, but he never really, to me, 1309 01:05:09,939 --> 01:05:11,939 Dad never really talked about it after that point. It was like-- 1310 01:05:12,021 --> 01:05:14,521 -No, he didn't. -He didn't wanna... 1311 01:05:14,605 --> 01:05:17,230 -deal with that. -He didn't approve of it at all. 1312 01:05:17,313 --> 01:05:19,563 Yeah, yeah, well, and the sex change. 1313 01:05:19,647 --> 01:05:21,146 He didn't approve of that either. 1314 01:05:21,230 --> 01:05:22,939 ♪ ♪ 1315 01:05:23,021 --> 01:05:25,188 Dower: And those are-- these are the diaries? 1316 01:05:25,271 --> 01:05:28,396 Ruddell: We don't really know where he was that Thanksgiving. 1317 01:05:28,480 --> 01:05:32,104 When the DB Cooper hijacking happened, 1318 01:05:32,188 --> 01:05:35,063 my grandmother kept diaries of every year. 1319 01:05:35,146 --> 01:05:37,104 My dad would say 1320 01:05:37,188 --> 01:05:38,897 that he wasn't coming to Thanksgiving 1321 01:05:38,980 --> 01:05:41,313 or where he was gonna be on Thanksgiving. 1322 01:05:41,396 --> 01:05:44,647 That one particular year in 1971, 1323 01:05:44,730 --> 01:05:46,563 he said nothing. 1324 01:05:46,647 --> 01:05:49,939 It just says, "house cleaning, etc. 1325 01:05:50,021 --> 01:05:52,855 "Ruth brought the turkey. 1326 01:05:52,939 --> 01:05:54,980 Irene made pumpkin pies." 1327 01:05:56,063 --> 01:05:58,813 So nothing was even mentioned. 1328 01:05:58,897 --> 01:06:02,480 It was just nothing. And I believe my grandparents knew. 1329 01:06:02,563 --> 01:06:05,104 Dower: And so, when it comes to DB Cooper, 1330 01:06:05,188 --> 01:06:07,104 and your father, 1331 01:06:07,188 --> 01:06:10,563 -you're a believer. -Ruddell: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. 1332 01:06:10,647 --> 01:06:12,772 I definitely believe. 1333 01:06:12,855 --> 01:06:15,021 I believe it's my dad. 1334 01:06:16,355 --> 01:06:20,230 ♪ ♪ 1335 01:06:20,313 --> 01:06:21,855 Gray: You know, it's hard to pick 1336 01:06:21,939 --> 01:06:24,730 among these suspects who's more fascinating. 1337 01:06:24,813 --> 01:06:26,521 You have Barbara Dayton, 1338 01:06:26,605 --> 01:06:29,021 who had the ability, the guts, 1339 01:06:29,104 --> 01:06:32,188 -to just do the job. -(shutter flash) 1340 01:06:32,271 --> 01:06:35,146 I really saw Barb Dayton with that kind of mind, 1341 01:06:35,230 --> 01:06:38,396 with that kind of jump experience, and with nothing to lose. 1342 01:06:39,939 --> 01:06:43,104 Dower: What do you make of the Floyd McCoy story? 1343 01:06:43,188 --> 01:06:46,104 Gray: Yeah, McCoy was somebody, to me, who, 1344 01:06:46,188 --> 01:06:49,230 who, mentally, had the capacity 1345 01:06:49,313 --> 01:06:51,104 to be a skyjacker 1346 01:06:51,188 --> 01:06:53,730 and understand the skyjacker, 1347 01:06:53,813 --> 01:06:54,939 but was he the one? 1348 01:06:55,021 --> 01:06:57,146 -(street chatter) -(shutters snapping) 1349 01:06:57,230 --> 01:06:59,939 Smith: Uh, the full story of Richard McCoy 1350 01:07:00,021 --> 01:07:01,980 has not been told. 1351 01:07:02,063 --> 01:07:04,813 A lot of it has been told by Bernie Rhodes. 1352 01:07:04,897 --> 01:07:06,855 -(projector clicks) -Bernie Rhodes was 1353 01:07:06,939 --> 01:07:10,063 a federal sentencing officer 1354 01:07:10,146 --> 01:07:13,855 in the McCoy copycat case. 1355 01:07:13,939 --> 01:07:16,772 But, um, Bernie won't talk to me. 1356 01:07:16,855 --> 01:07:18,563 Bernie won't talk to anybody. 1357 01:07:18,647 --> 01:07:20,980 Dower: I've been trying to get hold of him for over a year. 1358 01:07:21,063 --> 01:07:24,813 I've been trying to get a hold of him for 11 years! 1359 01:07:24,897 --> 01:07:28,146 -(insects chirping) -(cars passing) 1360 01:07:36,396 --> 01:07:38,021 Dower: Don't know... 1361 01:07:39,355 --> 01:07:41,480 Mr. Bernie Rhodes. 1362 01:07:42,939 --> 01:07:44,897 -Finally! -Bernie Rhodes: Hello! 1363 01:07:44,980 --> 01:07:46,980 -Am I gonna sit back down? -Yes, sir. 1364 01:07:47,063 --> 01:07:48,980 -(grunts) -Awesome. 1365 01:07:50,438 --> 01:07:53,021 Smith: Bernie has a unique perspective 1366 01:07:53,104 --> 01:07:54,855 because, at the time, 1367 01:07:54,939 --> 01:07:57,688 the whole FBI office in Salt Lake City 1368 01:07:57,772 --> 01:08:01,104 were absolutely convinced that McCoy 1369 01:08:01,188 --> 01:08:04,271 did the copycat thing as a second skyjacking 1370 01:08:04,355 --> 01:08:07,730 because he must've lost the money on the way down. 1371 01:08:07,813 --> 01:08:10,730 Dower: If Richard McCoy was DB Cooper, 1372 01:08:10,813 --> 01:08:13,021 why in the world would he go back 1373 01:08:13,104 --> 01:08:15,021 five months later 1374 01:08:15,104 --> 01:08:18,813 and hijack Flight 855? 1375 01:08:18,897 --> 01:08:21,855 Because he lost the money the first time. 1376 01:08:21,939 --> 01:08:25,104 The Bureau in Seattle brought aboard 1377 01:08:25,188 --> 01:08:27,271 a duffel bag that had 1378 01:08:27,355 --> 01:08:29,647 no handles, no zippers, 1379 01:08:29,730 --> 01:08:32,146 so that it would be easily... 1380 01:08:32,230 --> 01:08:36,605 uh, fallen out of-- the money would've fallen out 1381 01:08:36,688 --> 01:08:39,396 of the bag on the way when he jumped. 1382 01:08:39,480 --> 01:08:41,021 -(wind blowing) -(engines roaring) 1383 01:08:41,104 --> 01:08:42,855 Dower: Where did you interview Richard McCoy? 1384 01:08:42,939 --> 01:08:44,647 Set the scene for me. 1385 01:08:44,730 --> 01:08:47,647 Rhodes: It was in the old county jail. 1386 01:08:47,730 --> 01:08:49,521 Dower: You asked him where was he 1387 01:08:49,605 --> 01:08:51,605 the Thanksgiving the year before, 1388 01:08:51,688 --> 01:08:53,855 the day of the DB Cooper hijacking. 1389 01:08:54,980 --> 01:08:57,104 He was adamant... 1390 01:08:58,230 --> 01:08:59,980 that he was home. 1391 01:09:00,063 --> 01:09:02,730 There was no question in his mind. 1392 01:09:02,813 --> 01:09:06,855 And there was no question in my mind that he was not. 1393 01:09:06,939 --> 01:09:08,563 ♪ ♪ 1394 01:09:08,647 --> 01:09:11,438 Dower: You put the picture of DB Cooper on the table. 1395 01:09:11,521 --> 01:09:14,021 How did he react to the picture being there? 1396 01:09:14,104 --> 01:09:16,146 Rhodes: At one point, 1397 01:09:16,230 --> 01:09:18,188 he reacted... 1398 01:09:18,271 --> 01:09:21,438 emotionally. And, uh... 1399 01:09:22,730 --> 01:09:26,230 I think turned his head away. He avoided it, 1400 01:09:26,313 --> 01:09:29,355 until the end of that day, 1401 01:09:29,438 --> 01:09:31,772 when I had been tough on him. 1402 01:09:31,855 --> 01:09:36,605 And then he became very suspicious. 1403 01:09:36,688 --> 01:09:39,104 Did his mood change? 1404 01:09:39,188 --> 01:09:41,772 Did his personality change? 1405 01:09:41,855 --> 01:09:44,730 -Yes. -Smith: He didn't deny... 1406 01:09:44,813 --> 01:09:47,104 that he was DB Cooper. 1407 01:09:47,188 --> 01:09:50,188 He didn't deny that he had any part 1408 01:09:50,271 --> 01:09:52,438 in the Cooper case. He just said, 1409 01:09:52,521 --> 01:09:54,647 "I ain't talkin' about that." 1410 01:09:54,730 --> 01:09:56,772 Rhodes: Richard's eyes 1411 01:09:56,855 --> 01:09:59,230 rested on the Cooper drawing. 1412 01:09:59,313 --> 01:10:01,188 He was clearly curious, 1413 01:10:01,271 --> 01:10:04,146 but, uh, he never touched it 1414 01:10:04,230 --> 01:10:06,480 with his hands. 1415 01:10:06,563 --> 01:10:10,188 To me, that seemed a little bit unnatural. 1416 01:10:10,271 --> 01:10:12,271 From where I sat that morning, 1417 01:10:12,355 --> 01:10:16,563 the face across from me seemed identical 1418 01:10:17,939 --> 01:10:21,480 to the composite drawing of DB Cooper. 1419 01:10:21,563 --> 01:10:23,021 ♪ ♪ 1420 01:10:23,104 --> 01:10:24,563 He knew that I was 1421 01:10:24,647 --> 01:10:27,480 close enough and I was closing in on him. 1422 01:10:27,563 --> 01:10:29,188 (inaudible) 1423 01:10:29,271 --> 01:10:31,730 He just kept saying, "I was home," 1424 01:10:31,813 --> 01:10:34,772 when we knew he wasn't. 1425 01:10:34,855 --> 01:10:36,313 We had all of the evidence 1426 01:10:36,396 --> 01:10:38,313 from the Power Thrust service station 1427 01:10:38,396 --> 01:10:40,188 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 1428 01:10:40,271 --> 01:10:42,939 Dower: McCoy was in Las Vegas, Nevada, 1429 01:10:43,021 --> 01:10:45,271 the day after the Cooper hijacking, 1430 01:10:45,355 --> 01:10:47,605 despite saying that he was at home 1431 01:10:47,688 --> 01:10:50,939 -in Utah for Thanksgiving. -Bingo. 1432 01:10:51,021 --> 01:10:54,313 Gas receipts, telephone transcripts 1433 01:10:54,396 --> 01:10:58,146 from the phone company that he made a phone call back home 1434 01:10:58,230 --> 01:10:59,855 the night of Thanksgiving Day, 1435 01:10:59,939 --> 01:11:02,355 that he wasn't home. He was in Las Vegas. 1436 01:11:02,438 --> 01:11:05,813 There are, there are multiple pieces of hard evidence 1437 01:11:05,897 --> 01:11:08,855 putting McCoy in Las Vegas. 1438 01:11:08,939 --> 01:11:11,104 Rhodes: So there was no question that 1439 01:11:11,188 --> 01:11:14,104 McCoy was in Las Vegas, 1440 01:11:14,188 --> 01:11:17,688 and then went to a casino, which we think 1441 01:11:17,772 --> 01:11:21,021 he laundered the $8,000 or $10,000 1442 01:11:21,104 --> 01:11:24,480 that he had, and had not lost. 1443 01:11:24,563 --> 01:11:29,355 And, uh, called his wife in Provo, 1444 01:11:29,438 --> 01:11:31,146 and said, "I'm on my way home." 1445 01:11:31,230 --> 01:11:33,271 Now, that's pretty compelling. 1446 01:11:33,355 --> 01:11:35,730 Is it circumstantial? 1447 01:11:35,813 --> 01:11:39,271 I think it's pretty close to being hard evidence. 1448 01:11:39,355 --> 01:11:42,438 ♪ ♪ 1449 01:11:45,772 --> 01:11:49,021 -(reporters chattering) -Smith: McCoy didn't take that lying down. 1450 01:11:49,104 --> 01:11:51,230 He busted out of jail the next day. 1451 01:11:51,313 --> 01:11:53,188 Got apprehended a second time. 1452 01:11:53,271 --> 01:11:55,939 Got sent to a little bit higher security prison. 1453 01:11:56,021 --> 01:11:58,104 Busted out of there, too, 1454 01:11:58,188 --> 01:12:00,605 and was on the lam for quite a while. 1455 01:12:00,688 --> 01:12:04,188 And then the FBI got really serious about Richard McCoy. 1456 01:12:05,772 --> 01:12:10,730 Particularly Agent Nick O'Hara, 1457 01:12:10,813 --> 01:12:13,772 who actually apprehended McCoy 1458 01:12:13,855 --> 01:12:16,396 many months later. 1459 01:12:16,480 --> 01:12:19,313 And actually killed him in a gun battle. 1460 01:12:22,021 --> 01:12:24,813 Dower: What's it like to shoot a man though? 1461 01:12:26,855 --> 01:12:29,730 Well, it's pretty easy if they shoot first 1462 01:12:29,813 --> 01:12:32,521 because you get a lot of second guessing 1463 01:12:32,605 --> 01:12:35,897 on police-involved shootings, 1464 01:12:35,980 --> 01:12:37,480 but ours was very clean 1465 01:12:37,563 --> 01:12:39,897 because he came in, he could've given up, 1466 01:12:39,980 --> 01:12:42,897 he chose not to, and... 1467 01:12:42,980 --> 01:12:45,605 -(clicking) -he just... 1468 01:12:45,688 --> 01:12:47,897 when it's, when it's clean like that... 1469 01:12:50,021 --> 01:12:51,396 that's about it. 1470 01:12:51,480 --> 01:12:55,271 It doesn't... I don't feel anything, honestly. 1471 01:12:56,480 --> 01:12:58,230 ♪ ♪ 1472 01:12:58,313 --> 01:13:00,521 Reporter 1: The FBI has reignited a cold case 1473 01:13:00,605 --> 01:13:02,563 that has haunted the bureau for years. 1474 01:13:02,647 --> 01:13:05,104 And this morning, we have the exclusive story 1475 01:13:05,188 --> 01:13:07,271 from the woman who believes she knows 1476 01:13:07,355 --> 01:13:09,647 the infamous hijacker DB Cooper, 1477 01:13:09,730 --> 01:13:12,021 and her name is Marla Cooper. 1478 01:13:12,104 --> 01:13:13,855 Reporter 2: A woman who gave the FBI 1479 01:13:13,939 --> 01:13:16,813 one of its most important leads in the mystery of DB Cooper 1480 01:13:16,897 --> 01:13:19,063 says she thinks the case is all but solved. 1481 01:13:19,146 --> 01:13:21,605 -You're kidding me. Cooper as in... -(laughs) 1482 01:13:21,688 --> 01:13:23,813 DB Cooper. No-- This is not an alias. 1483 01:13:23,897 --> 01:13:27,563 -No. -You believe that your uncle was DB Cooper. 1484 01:13:27,647 --> 01:13:28,688 Yes, I do. 1485 01:13:28,772 --> 01:13:29,939 (indistinct chatter) 1486 01:13:30,021 --> 01:13:32,772 Cooper: Thanksgiving 2011, I actually met 1487 01:13:32,855 --> 01:13:34,980 the FBI agent here in Seattle, 1488 01:13:35,063 --> 01:13:38,230 and he told me that he was closing the case. 1489 01:13:38,313 --> 01:13:41,230 He said, "I'm satisfied that you're telling the truth. 1490 01:13:41,313 --> 01:13:43,438 I think everybody here is satisfied." 1491 01:13:43,521 --> 01:13:44,772 ♪ ♪ 1492 01:13:44,855 --> 01:13:46,521 Dower: Was that the first time the FBI had actually 1493 01:13:46,605 --> 01:13:48,438 nailed their colors to a mast on a... 1494 01:13:48,521 --> 01:13:50,063 -Smith: Yeah. -Dower: suspect? 1495 01:13:50,146 --> 01:13:53,146 I think they wanted to bury the case. 1496 01:13:53,230 --> 01:13:55,855 I think it was the first effort 1497 01:13:56,939 --> 01:13:59,605 by the FBI to walk away. 1498 01:13:59,688 --> 01:14:02,271 Dower: She did pass a polygraph test. 1499 01:14:02,355 --> 01:14:04,313 I think she believes it! 1500 01:14:04,396 --> 01:14:07,188 (stammers) Marla's credible! 1501 01:14:07,271 --> 01:14:09,980 Marla believes her story! 1502 01:14:10,063 --> 01:14:12,021 Cooper: The last time I saw Uncle LD 1503 01:14:12,104 --> 01:14:15,605 was Christmas a year after the hijacking. 1504 01:14:15,688 --> 01:14:17,688 ♪ ♪ 1505 01:14:17,772 --> 01:14:20,188 It was that Christmas 1506 01:14:20,271 --> 01:14:22,855 that my parents took him 1507 01:14:22,939 --> 01:14:25,271 to the airport, 1508 01:14:25,355 --> 01:14:27,355 and I never saw him again. 1509 01:14:27,438 --> 01:14:30,980 (projector clicking) 1510 01:14:31,063 --> 01:14:37,021 And every year, at Christmas and Thanksgiving, 1511 01:14:37,104 --> 01:14:41,188 I would say, "Where's LD? Has anybody heard from LD?" 1512 01:14:41,271 --> 01:14:42,688 And nobody ever did. 1513 01:14:42,772 --> 01:14:44,855 (children laughing) 1514 01:14:44,939 --> 01:14:48,188 Dower: So how did this then all resurface 1515 01:14:48,271 --> 01:14:50,188 nearly 25 years later? 1516 01:14:52,563 --> 01:14:55,688 Cooper: I remembered my father telling me this... 1517 01:14:55,772 --> 01:15:00,980 story which was in 1995 at Christmas. 1518 01:15:01,063 --> 01:15:03,647 And I said, "Dad, 1519 01:15:03,730 --> 01:15:06,271 what do you think ever happened to Uncle LD?" 1520 01:15:06,355 --> 01:15:08,146 (inaudible) 1521 01:15:08,230 --> 01:15:10,521 He, he goes, "I really don't know, Marla. 1522 01:15:10,605 --> 01:15:12,188 I don't have any idea." And I said, 1523 01:15:12,271 --> 01:15:14,104 "Do you think he's still alive?" He said, 1524 01:15:14,188 --> 01:15:16,563 "Oh yeah. I'm sure he's still alive." 1525 01:15:16,647 --> 01:15:19,355 He said, "But I think he's still hiding." 1526 01:15:20,772 --> 01:15:25,271 And I said, "Hiding? Who would he be hiding from?" 1527 01:15:25,355 --> 01:15:27,230 And he said, "You know, the CIA 1528 01:15:27,313 --> 01:15:30,063 and the FBI." And I said, 1529 01:15:30,146 --> 01:15:32,480 "Dad, why would Uncle LD be hiding 1530 01:15:32,563 --> 01:15:34,563 from the FBI?" And he goes, 1531 01:15:34,647 --> 01:15:37,605 "Don't you remember? He hijacked that airplane." 1532 01:15:37,688 --> 01:15:39,563 ♪ ♪ 1533 01:15:39,647 --> 01:15:42,313 So when Dad said this to me, 1534 01:15:44,146 --> 01:15:45,355 it was like 1535 01:15:45,438 --> 01:15:47,188 he unlocked 1536 01:15:47,271 --> 01:15:49,980 a secret box inside of my mind 1537 01:15:50,063 --> 01:15:52,063 that was-- that I'd forgotten. 1538 01:15:55,688 --> 01:15:58,438 My dad died one month after 1539 01:15:58,521 --> 01:16:00,688 I visited him at Christmas. 1540 01:16:00,772 --> 01:16:02,313 He had called me several times 1541 01:16:02,396 --> 01:16:05,980 and said, "You know what happened. You'll remember." 1542 01:16:06,063 --> 01:16:07,313 (indistinct chatter) 1543 01:16:07,396 --> 01:16:09,939 And I hadn't taken him very seriously at the time. 1544 01:16:10,021 --> 01:16:12,146 But when my memories did surface, 1545 01:16:12,230 --> 01:16:14,605 I remembered that mandate from him. 1546 01:16:14,688 --> 01:16:16,480 (projector clicking) 1547 01:16:16,563 --> 01:16:18,271 Dower: Do you believe your uncle was, 1548 01:16:18,355 --> 01:16:21,813 or is, DB Dan Cooper? 1549 01:16:21,897 --> 01:16:25,104 I know my uncle was DB Dan Cooper. 1550 01:16:26,813 --> 01:16:30,146 Dower: You think your husband was DB Cooper? 1551 01:16:30,230 --> 01:16:32,855 I know he was DB Cooper. 1552 01:16:33,980 --> 01:16:37,063 I know it, with all my heart 1553 01:16:37,146 --> 01:16:38,480 and all my soul. 1554 01:16:38,563 --> 01:16:41,772 Do you think I would've given up 23 years of my life 1555 01:16:41,855 --> 01:16:45,855 if I didn't believe it with all my heart and soul? 1556 01:16:45,939 --> 01:16:48,688 Dower: Do you believe that Richard Floyd McCoy 1557 01:16:48,772 --> 01:16:50,855 was DB Cooper? 1558 01:16:52,021 --> 01:16:54,188 You know, I don't know how you can just 1559 01:16:54,271 --> 01:16:57,688 dismiss all of the evidence. 1560 01:16:57,772 --> 01:17:01,647 Dower: So do you believe Barbara was DB Cooper? 1561 01:17:01,730 --> 01:17:03,146 Definitely. 1562 01:17:03,230 --> 01:17:04,647 -Hundred-- -Little by little, 1563 01:17:04,730 --> 01:17:08,480 just every little detail that kept coming together, 1564 01:17:08,563 --> 01:17:10,521 and um... 1565 01:17:10,605 --> 01:17:13,230 -I just definitely believe he was. -I never had a doubt 1566 01:17:13,313 --> 01:17:15,188 from the minute I saw that picture when 1567 01:17:15,271 --> 01:17:17,396 we combed the hair back, and I'd flown with her. 1568 01:17:17,480 --> 01:17:19,480 I knew her, what she was capable of doing. 1569 01:17:19,563 --> 01:17:23,355 (rumbling) 1570 01:17:23,438 --> 01:17:25,355 Let me grab the ashes, too. 1571 01:17:25,438 --> 01:17:29,271 This is Barb Dayton's ashes, and I... 1572 01:17:29,355 --> 01:17:32,521 every now and then, she kind of likes to go for an airplane ride, you know? 1573 01:17:32,605 --> 01:17:36,021 -Dower: So, you seriously take her ashes-- -I do seriously. Yes I do, yeah. 1574 01:17:36,104 --> 01:17:39,939 -(rumbling) -Dower: Why do you think they believe so much? 1575 01:17:40,021 --> 01:17:41,980 Smith: Part of it is 1576 01:17:42,063 --> 01:17:44,355 it's a validation of their friend. 1577 01:17:44,438 --> 01:17:47,230 This is what their friend told them. 1578 01:17:47,313 --> 01:17:51,313 And there's enough compelling evidence... 1579 01:17:54,730 --> 01:17:56,939 to... 1580 01:17:57,021 --> 01:18:00,605 make all the neurological synapses fire 1581 01:18:00,688 --> 01:18:02,688 to put it into the truth category. 1582 01:18:02,772 --> 01:18:05,897 (plane rumbling) 1583 01:18:09,521 --> 01:18:12,605 (roaring) 1584 01:18:17,146 --> 01:18:20,563 Dower: Now, you're one of the few people who 1585 01:18:20,647 --> 01:18:23,813 have access to the FBI files. 1586 01:18:26,897 --> 01:18:27,855 Yeah. 1587 01:18:27,939 --> 01:18:31,188 ♪ ♪ 1588 01:18:33,021 --> 01:18:37,355 I walked into the basement of the FBI archives 1589 01:18:37,438 --> 01:18:40,313 in a bureau field office, 1590 01:18:40,396 --> 01:18:44,104 and I just saw these big closets of files, 1591 01:18:44,188 --> 01:18:45,980 and I thought, 1592 01:18:46,063 --> 01:18:47,939 "This is the Holy Land. 1593 01:18:48,021 --> 01:18:50,313 "Like, I'm in, man. I'm in. 1594 01:18:50,396 --> 01:18:51,563 "It's gotta be here somewhere. 1595 01:18:51,647 --> 01:18:52,939 The answer's gotta be here somewhere." 1596 01:18:53,021 --> 01:18:54,855 No disrespect to the FBI, but I thought, 1597 01:18:54,939 --> 01:18:57,605 "I can spend the time and go through 40 years later, 1598 01:18:57,688 --> 01:18:59,313 and nail the sucker." 1599 01:19:01,563 --> 01:19:04,355 But what happens in the Cooper case 1600 01:19:04,438 --> 01:19:07,438 is that the Cooper case files, the majority of them, 1601 01:19:07,521 --> 01:19:09,688 they are hundreds, 1602 01:19:09,772 --> 01:19:11,647 if not thousands of letters, 1603 01:19:11,730 --> 01:19:14,313 poems, different pranks, 1604 01:19:14,396 --> 01:19:16,688 different suspicions of people, who all 1605 01:19:16,772 --> 01:19:19,146 flooded the FBI with their best tips, 1606 01:19:19,230 --> 01:19:21,188 thinking that their neighbor was Cooper, 1607 01:19:21,271 --> 01:19:22,688 their ex-wives were Cooper. 1608 01:19:22,772 --> 01:19:24,855 Every complaint that people seemed to have in America 1609 01:19:24,939 --> 01:19:26,438 seemed to be blamed on Cooper. 1610 01:19:27,939 --> 01:19:30,146 In the whole FBI file, the vast majority of it 1611 01:19:30,230 --> 01:19:34,688 are just a sort of depository of paranoia. 1612 01:19:34,772 --> 01:19:36,521 ♪ ♪ 1613 01:19:36,605 --> 01:19:39,521 Mitchell: I've had people that 1614 01:19:39,605 --> 01:19:42,063 come up and tell me that they've got 1615 01:19:42,146 --> 01:19:45,271 wife's cousin who, 1616 01:19:45,355 --> 01:19:48,104 on his deathbed, said he was DB Cooper, 1617 01:19:48,188 --> 01:19:50,813 trying to get me to point to... 1618 01:19:52,438 --> 01:19:55,396 somebody-- that I would recognize something. 1619 01:19:57,355 --> 01:19:59,647 Reporter: Take the annual DB Cooper festival 1620 01:19:59,730 --> 01:20:02,563 at the Ariel Washington Tavern and Store. 1621 01:20:02,647 --> 01:20:05,897 There, enthusiasts even reenact Cooper's parachute jump. 1622 01:20:05,980 --> 01:20:07,647 (indistinct chatter) 1623 01:20:07,730 --> 01:20:10,688 Cooper is right here in this place at this very minute. 1624 01:20:10,772 --> 01:20:12,605 I think he made it myself. 1625 01:20:12,688 --> 01:20:15,855 I do think so that DB Cooper will live on. 1626 01:20:15,939 --> 01:20:19,146 Cooper: The first thing that kinda hit in my head was, 1627 01:20:19,230 --> 01:20:20,855 "That looks like my dad." 1628 01:20:20,939 --> 01:20:23,939 Woman 1: That is Bobby! That looks just like Bobby! That's Bobby! 1629 01:20:24,021 --> 01:20:25,855 Man 1: And he called me 1630 01:20:25,939 --> 01:20:28,313 to his bedside, and he said, 1631 01:20:28,396 --> 01:20:30,980 "There's something you should know." 1632 01:20:31,063 --> 01:20:33,563 Mr. DB Cooper. 1633 01:20:33,647 --> 01:20:36,980 Ruddell: I definitely believe that was my dad. 1634 01:20:37,063 --> 01:20:38,605 Pat: I miss her a lot. 1635 01:20:38,688 --> 01:20:40,563 I even talk to her sometimes. (laughs) 1636 01:20:40,647 --> 01:20:43,188 Woman 2: Can't say that he came home bloodied and bruised 1637 01:20:43,271 --> 01:20:44,813 'cause he just never came home. 1638 01:20:44,897 --> 01:20:48,230 Man 2: That's where the bomb was. Right in this attaché case. 1639 01:20:48,313 --> 01:20:50,647 Mitchell: And they would send me a picture and say, 1640 01:20:50,730 --> 01:20:54,188 "Can you tell me if this guy was DB Cooper?" 1641 01:20:54,271 --> 01:20:55,897 You know, 50 years ago. 1642 01:20:55,980 --> 01:20:58,480 And I... no, I can't. 1643 01:20:58,563 --> 01:21:00,396 I've quit answering them. 1644 01:21:00,480 --> 01:21:03,521 ♪ ♪ 1645 01:21:07,063 --> 01:21:09,897 (wind blowing) 1646 01:21:13,438 --> 01:21:15,855 Collins: I realize that there are thousands of people who say, 1647 01:21:15,939 --> 01:21:18,355 "I know who Cooper is. He's my dad, he's my uncle, 1648 01:21:18,438 --> 01:21:21,813 "he's so-and-so. I've done all this research, 1649 01:21:21,897 --> 01:21:23,230 I know it, I know it, I know it." 1650 01:21:23,313 --> 01:21:26,855 And I realize I sound exactly like those people. 1651 01:21:26,939 --> 01:21:28,813 So I look at myself and go, okay. 1652 01:21:28,897 --> 01:21:30,688 Is there any difference between 1653 01:21:30,772 --> 01:21:32,313 what I'm seeing and what they're seeing? 1654 01:21:32,396 --> 01:21:34,480 Am I just as delusional or whatever? 1655 01:21:34,563 --> 01:21:38,438 -Dower: It's endless. -Collins: Yeah. It's like an endless loop. 1656 01:21:38,521 --> 01:21:41,146 It just sucks people in. 1657 01:21:41,980 --> 01:21:45,063 ♪ ♪ 1658 01:21:46,813 --> 01:21:49,772 Dower: These people all have a DB Cooper-shaped hole 1659 01:21:49,855 --> 01:21:51,939 -in their lives. -Smith: Hm. 1660 01:21:52,021 --> 01:21:54,104 I hadn't realized that, but I think you're right. 1661 01:21:54,188 --> 01:21:56,980 I think that's an interesting perspective. 1662 01:21:57,063 --> 01:21:59,980 Dower: What is your DB Cooper-shaped hole? 1663 01:22:00,063 --> 01:22:03,271 -Why are you so engaged with this story? -(Smith sighs) 1664 01:22:03,355 --> 01:22:04,939 I don't have a full understanding of it. 1665 01:22:05,021 --> 01:22:07,313 I don't have a complete answer for you on that. 1666 01:22:11,021 --> 01:22:14,939 But I think Cooper speaks to something bigger and deeper 1667 01:22:15,021 --> 01:22:17,355 in more people. 1668 01:22:18,772 --> 01:22:20,730 People who think, 1669 01:22:20,813 --> 01:22:24,146 "I'm just not tough enough, 1670 01:22:24,230 --> 01:22:26,521 "I'm just not rich enough, 1671 01:22:26,605 --> 01:22:29,563 "and I just don't have enough opportunities. 1672 01:22:29,647 --> 01:22:32,605 "And if I had a little bit more of something, 1673 01:22:32,688 --> 01:22:34,021 "I'd have a better life. 1674 01:22:34,104 --> 01:22:36,772 "But Cooper figured it out. 1675 01:22:36,855 --> 01:22:39,813 "He's a smart guy, I'm a smart guy. 1676 01:22:39,897 --> 01:22:41,647 "He figured, okay. 1677 01:22:41,730 --> 01:22:44,021 "I'm gonna jump out of this airplane, 200,000. 1678 01:22:44,104 --> 01:22:45,647 "I'm gonna be in the woods, 1679 01:22:45,730 --> 01:22:49,521 "and he got away with it. I wanna be a Cooper. 1680 01:22:49,605 --> 01:22:52,730 "I wanna be tough enough to jump out of an airplane, 1681 01:22:52,813 --> 01:22:57,230 "in November, at 8:00 at night, in the rain. 1682 01:22:57,313 --> 01:22:58,897 "Not give a shit. 1683 01:22:58,980 --> 01:23:01,230 "And be smart enough to make it. I'll get down to the ground. 1684 01:23:01,313 --> 01:23:03,855 "I'm a tough guy. I'll know how to survive. 1685 01:23:03,939 --> 01:23:07,146 Country boys know how to survive." 1686 01:23:07,730 --> 01:23:10,063 ♪ ♪ 1687 01:23:10,146 --> 01:23:12,855 Like I said, all Cooper all the time. 1688 01:23:15,897 --> 01:23:17,521 Gray: It's really not about him anyway. 1689 01:23:17,605 --> 01:23:18,772 It's about the people. 1690 01:23:18,855 --> 01:23:20,647 It's about believing in the fantasy. 1691 01:23:20,730 --> 01:23:24,688 It's about believing in something. 1692 01:23:24,772 --> 01:23:28,021 We're kinda designed to believe in things, and right now, 1693 01:23:28,104 --> 01:23:29,438 like what do you have to believe in? 1694 01:23:29,521 --> 01:23:31,230 You know, there's not really that much out there 1695 01:23:31,313 --> 01:23:34,063 that you get to believe in that has 1696 01:23:34,146 --> 01:23:36,438 a sense of mystery, a sense of notoriety attached, 1697 01:23:36,521 --> 01:23:38,063 a treasure to find. 1698 01:23:38,146 --> 01:23:40,188 It gives people a chance to believe. 1699 01:23:42,355 --> 01:23:43,813 Dower: It's kind of overwhelming. 1700 01:23:43,897 --> 01:23:45,188 There's so many different stories, 1701 01:23:45,271 --> 01:23:47,063 so much evidence. 1702 01:23:47,146 --> 01:23:50,313 It's so easy to get lost down the rabbit hole. 1703 01:23:50,396 --> 01:23:52,230 Well, I'll tell you what. I want you to walk 1704 01:23:52,313 --> 01:23:54,647 through that rabbit hole right there. 1705 01:23:54,730 --> 01:23:58,230 Just walk out through there, and then come back. 1706 01:24:08,605 --> 01:24:11,688 And that actually wasn't planned. (chuckles) 1707 01:24:11,772 --> 01:24:14,855 ♪ ♪ 1708 01:24:27,188 --> 01:24:29,939 But he can see where he's going now. 1709 01:24:30,021 --> 01:24:33,021 But he couldn't see it at night, could he? 1710 01:24:33,104 --> 01:24:36,605 And look at how hard of a time he's having now. 1711 01:24:47,688 --> 01:24:49,939 Crew Member: I think he's lost. 1712 01:24:52,772 --> 01:24:54,021 (chuckles) 1713 01:24:54,104 --> 01:24:56,772 He's having some fun, isn't he? 1714 01:25:00,230 --> 01:25:02,939 Okay, just look for any moving branch. 1715 01:25:03,772 --> 01:25:05,688 I lost track of him. 1716 01:25:05,772 --> 01:25:08,605 He'll be circling around on us. 1717 01:25:16,605 --> 01:25:20,396 Montoya: There is the reputation and the mystique 1718 01:25:20,480 --> 01:25:23,271 that the FBI always gets its man. 1719 01:25:23,355 --> 01:25:25,605 They're kinda like the Canadian Mounties, right? 1720 01:25:25,688 --> 01:25:27,772 But there are also those instances 1721 01:25:27,855 --> 01:25:30,146 when we kinda have to grin and bear it 1722 01:25:30,230 --> 01:25:32,230 and say, well, not in this case. 1723 01:25:34,897 --> 01:25:37,897 Reporter: Agent Montoya, why, why now? 1724 01:25:37,980 --> 01:25:40,104 Why the decision to close this case now? 1725 01:25:40,188 --> 01:25:42,146 ♪ ♪ 1726 01:25:42,230 --> 01:25:43,897 Montoya: We would love to have solved this. 1727 01:25:43,980 --> 01:25:45,730 There's no question about it. 1728 01:25:45,813 --> 01:25:47,897 I mean, to see justice served, 1729 01:25:47,980 --> 01:25:49,813 and it doesn't feel good 1730 01:25:49,897 --> 01:25:53,271 to acknowledge that this is 1731 01:25:53,355 --> 01:25:57,855 the only unsolved skyjacking in American history. 1732 01:25:57,939 --> 01:26:01,188 I think that what helps is the fact that it was 45 years old, 1733 01:26:01,271 --> 01:26:05,396 and realizing that there just wasn't a lot to go on. 1734 01:26:05,480 --> 01:26:08,355 (stammers) That it was time for us to make that decision, 1735 01:26:08,438 --> 01:26:10,980 time for me to make that decision to move on to other things. 1736 01:26:11,063 --> 01:26:14,897 That's not to say that it's, you know, dead and over with forever. 1737 01:26:14,980 --> 01:26:16,438 If something were to arise, 1738 01:26:16,521 --> 01:26:18,939 those parachutes or that money, we would gladly 1739 01:26:19,021 --> 01:26:22,355 take that and run with it. 1740 01:26:22,438 --> 01:26:26,104 It's transpired, along with my history so to speak. 1741 01:26:26,188 --> 01:26:27,688 I remember watching television 1742 01:26:27,772 --> 01:26:30,104 and seeing the original reports. 1743 01:26:30,188 --> 01:26:32,605 Never did I think I'd be in this position today, 1744 01:26:32,688 --> 01:26:36,146 saying to you that we're closing the case and it's not resolved. 1745 01:26:36,230 --> 01:26:38,647 ♪ ♪ 1746 01:26:38,730 --> 01:26:41,396 Whether we like it or not, it's part of our cultural history. 1747 01:26:41,480 --> 01:26:43,438 Whether it's Jesse James, you know, 1748 01:26:43,521 --> 01:26:45,021 or Butch and Sundance, 1749 01:26:45,104 --> 01:26:47,230 or Bonnie and Clyde. 1750 01:26:48,480 --> 01:26:50,188 I mean, there are a lot of mysteries out there. 1751 01:26:50,271 --> 01:26:53,480 There's no question about it, and this is gonna be one of those.