1 00:00:01,793 --> 00:00:03,128 On this episode of "Expedition Files," 2 00:00:04,713 --> 00:00:06,923 the CIA works in the shadows. 3 00:00:07,048 --> 00:00:09,884 Now we shine a light on one of its most controversial 4 00:00:09,884 --> 00:00:12,721 operations, MKUltra-- 5 00:00:14,264 --> 00:00:16,683 using hallucinogenics as part of secret 6 00:00:16,683 --> 00:00:18,184 mind control experiments... 7 00:00:18,184 --> 00:00:19,853 [screaming] 8 00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:21,521 ...with sometimes deadly results. 9 00:00:21,521 --> 00:00:22,731 [high-pitch scream] 10 00:00:24,357 --> 00:00:27,861 Then, history's most famous queen, Cleopatra, 11 00:00:27,861 --> 00:00:31,448 is said to die by self-inflicted snakebite. 12 00:00:31,573 --> 00:00:35,660 We reveal the untold twists of this truly poisonous story. 13 00:00:40,540 --> 00:00:44,085 And how did two people walk into a museum and vanish 14 00:00:44,085 --> 00:00:47,505 with a 160-million-dollar masterpiece? 15 00:00:47,630 --> 00:00:50,467 For the first time, we paint the complete picture. 16 00:00:56,139 --> 00:00:57,640 In the corridors of time... 17 00:01:00,060 --> 00:01:02,854 are mysteries that defy explanation. 18 00:01:04,647 --> 00:01:07,942 Now, I'm traveling through history itself... 19 00:01:10,570 --> 00:01:12,947 on a search for the truth. 20 00:01:12,947 --> 00:01:14,657 [epic music plays] 21 00:01:14,657 --> 00:01:15,742 New evidence. 22 00:01:17,702 --> 00:01:18,828 Shocking answers. 23 00:01:20,872 --> 00:01:21,873 I'm Josh Gates. 24 00:01:23,166 --> 00:01:24,167 And these... 25 00:01:26,336 --> 00:01:28,129 are my "Expedition Files." 26 00:01:32,133 --> 00:01:35,053 There's nothing better than a surprise twist ending. 27 00:01:35,178 --> 00:01:37,931 That shock and amazement when a story ends up 28 00:01:37,931 --> 00:01:39,849 where you'd never expect it. 29 00:01:39,849 --> 00:01:42,727 You know, Bruce Willis is a ghost in "The Sixth Sense." 30 00:01:42,852 --> 00:01:45,230 Brad Pitt doesn't exist in "Fight Club." 31 00:01:45,355 --> 00:01:48,108 And if you haven't seen those movies, well, I just totally 32 00:01:48,108 --> 00:01:49,400 ruined them for you. 33 00:01:49,526 --> 00:01:53,404 Anyway, tonight, get ready for that same surprising sensation 34 00:01:53,530 --> 00:01:57,575 as we explore three shocking true stories with endings 35 00:01:57,700 --> 00:01:59,577 you really won't see coming. 36 00:01:59,702 --> 00:02:03,164 And let's begin on November 28th, 1953, 37 00:02:03,164 --> 00:02:05,041 in Midtown Manhattan. 38 00:02:05,166 --> 00:02:06,793 [siren wailing] 39 00:02:06,793 --> 00:02:08,670 It's just after 4 AM, 40 00:02:08,670 --> 00:02:12,215 an unusually quiet time for the city that never sleeps. 41 00:02:12,340 --> 00:02:15,552 No commuters streaming in yet from nearby Penn Station. 42 00:02:15,552 --> 00:02:17,554 But that doesn't mean I'm alone out here. 43 00:02:17,554 --> 00:02:20,974 In fact, I'm standing by a grisly scene. 44 00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:24,352 CIA employee Frank Olson has fallen from a window at 45 00:02:24,352 --> 00:02:28,439 the Hotel Statler and plummeted 10 floors to his death. 46 00:02:28,565 --> 00:02:31,818 The authorities declare there are no signs of foul play, 47 00:02:31,818 --> 00:02:33,361 calling it suicide. 48 00:02:33,361 --> 00:02:36,114 But decades later, declassified documents 49 00:02:36,239 --> 00:02:39,033 will cast doubt on the official story. 50 00:02:39,033 --> 00:02:41,953 So, if Frank Olson didn't take his own life, 51 00:02:42,078 --> 00:02:43,746 what really happened here? 52 00:02:43,746 --> 00:02:47,125 New evidence suggests the truth is far more sinister 53 00:02:47,250 --> 00:02:49,836 than anyone ever imagined. 54 00:02:49,836 --> 00:02:52,380 [ominous chord strikes] 55 00:02:57,969 --> 00:02:59,804 [intriguing music plays] 56 00:03:04,726 --> 00:03:08,605 Our story begins 10 years earlier, in 1943. 57 00:03:08,605 --> 00:03:10,440 U.S. Army Captain Frank Olson 58 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:11,691 has just been transferred 59 00:03:11,691 --> 00:03:14,611 to Maryland's Camp Detrick to begin work on a new, 60 00:03:14,611 --> 00:03:17,363 highly secretive biological weapons program. 61 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,577 At just 33 years old, Olson is one of the first scientists 62 00:03:22,577 --> 00:03:23,953 inducted into the program. 63 00:03:24,996 --> 00:03:27,081 With a Ph.D. in biochemistry, 64 00:03:27,081 --> 00:03:29,709 Olson's job is to test various biological 65 00:03:29,709 --> 00:03:33,922 substances like anthrax for use as weapons against the Nazis. 66 00:03:37,175 --> 00:03:39,010 [mysterious music plays] 67 00:03:41,262 --> 00:03:44,390 Over the next few years, Olson works on other unsettling 68 00:03:44,390 --> 00:03:47,185 secret experiments, like Operation Harness 69 00:03:47,310 --> 00:03:50,021 in Antigua, which tests the airborne spread 70 00:03:50,146 --> 00:03:54,025 of potential bioweapons by exposing hundreds of sheep, 71 00:03:54,150 --> 00:03:57,028 guinea pigs, and monkeys to potent toxins. 72 00:03:59,697 --> 00:04:03,701 In 1950, he participates in Operation Sea-Spray, 73 00:04:03,826 --> 00:04:07,038 which clandestinely releases a nonlethal bacteria 74 00:04:07,163 --> 00:04:08,998 into the mists of San Francisco, 75 00:04:10,208 --> 00:04:12,418 tracking how quickly an airborne disease 76 00:04:12,418 --> 00:04:14,337 could attack a populated area. 77 00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:20,677 And though he finds his work disturbing, he continues 78 00:04:20,677 --> 00:04:22,178 to move up the ranks. 79 00:04:22,178 --> 00:04:26,683 By 1953, Olson has accepted an official promotion to a new 80 00:04:26,683 --> 00:04:29,394 top-secret program at the CIA. 81 00:04:29,519 --> 00:04:31,854 He now finds himself at the heart of a deeply 82 00:04:31,980 --> 00:04:36,317 clandestine operation, something code-named "MKUltra." 83 00:04:38,528 --> 00:04:41,990 Led by chief CIA scientist Sidney Gottlieb, 84 00:04:41,990 --> 00:04:45,368 MKUltra is working to develop a substance that can do 85 00:04:45,368 --> 00:04:47,578 three extraordinary things-- 86 00:04:47,704 --> 00:04:50,498 force alleged spies to tell the truth, 87 00:04:50,498 --> 00:04:53,543 wipe the memory of prisoners, 88 00:04:53,668 --> 00:04:56,462 and, wildest of all, induce a subject 89 00:04:56,462 --> 00:04:58,965 to perform assassinations against their will. 90 00:04:58,965 --> 00:05:00,633 [gunshot blasts] 91 00:05:00,633 --> 00:05:03,803 In short, the CIA wants to develop mind control. 92 00:05:05,179 --> 00:05:06,431 [device beeping] 93 00:05:13,730 --> 00:05:16,232 Olson is a principal investigator for many 94 00:05:16,357 --> 00:05:18,401 of the MKUltra experiments, 95 00:05:18,401 --> 00:05:20,153 forced to witness poisonings 96 00:05:20,153 --> 00:05:22,238 and drug-induced interrogations 97 00:05:22,238 --> 00:05:24,657 using the chemical weapons he helped create. 98 00:05:24,657 --> 00:05:26,326 [grunts desperately] 99 00:05:29,329 --> 00:05:32,123 By the fall of 1953, despite a reputation 100 00:05:32,248 --> 00:05:35,126 as a jovial, sociable family man, 101 00:05:35,251 --> 00:05:37,587 Olson falls into a deep depression. 102 00:05:44,052 --> 00:05:46,429 On November 18th, 1953, 103 00:05:46,429 --> 00:05:48,348 his boss, Sidney Gottlieb, 104 00:05:48,348 --> 00:05:51,559 organizes a retreat at a cabin at Deep Creek Lake 105 00:05:51,559 --> 00:05:54,103 for those on the MKUltra Project, 106 00:05:54,228 --> 00:05:56,105 purportedly as a morale booster. 107 00:05:57,523 --> 00:05:59,692 Olson and 11 others travel to the lake 108 00:05:59,692 --> 00:06:02,070 for rest and relaxation. 109 00:06:02,070 --> 00:06:03,571 It'll be anything but. 110 00:06:05,239 --> 00:06:08,451 The first night comes and goes with little fanfare. 111 00:06:08,576 --> 00:06:10,411 Then, after dinner on the second night, 112 00:06:10,411 --> 00:06:12,789 November 19th, Gottlieb passes around 113 00:06:12,914 --> 00:06:14,999 glasses of Cointreau liqueur to the men. 114 00:06:20,296 --> 00:06:21,381 Twenty minutes later, 115 00:06:21,381 --> 00:06:22,965 things start to go off the rails. 116 00:06:25,218 --> 00:06:26,594 [suspenseful music plays] 117 00:06:28,638 --> 00:06:31,641 [distorted voices mumbling] 118 00:06:32,683 --> 00:06:34,185 [distorted laughing] 119 00:06:35,603 --> 00:06:38,815 Despite only having a single drink, Olson becomes 120 00:06:38,815 --> 00:06:39,899 highly agitated. 121 00:06:41,526 --> 00:06:43,736 Witnesses describe him as paranoid, 122 00:06:43,736 --> 00:06:45,863 convinced someone has played a trick on him. 123 00:06:45,988 --> 00:06:47,365 [as Olson] What'd you do to me? 124 00:06:47,490 --> 00:06:50,034 He shouts delusional insults at the other men. 125 00:06:53,246 --> 00:06:55,581 The next night, when Olson arrives back home, 126 00:06:55,581 --> 00:06:57,333 he's a changed man. 127 00:06:57,333 --> 00:07:01,254 He's sullen and confused, refusing to play with his kids. 128 00:07:01,254 --> 00:07:04,340 His wife Alice tries to coax out what happened. 129 00:07:04,340 --> 00:07:06,634 [Alice] Will you please talk to me? 130 00:07:06,634 --> 00:07:09,345 [Josh] But the normally talkative Olson is silent, 131 00:07:09,470 --> 00:07:10,763 stewing in his despair. 132 00:07:13,558 --> 00:07:16,686 Later that night, Olson makes a single ominous statement 133 00:07:16,811 --> 00:07:17,937 to Alice. 134 00:07:17,937 --> 00:07:19,814 I made a terrible mistake. 135 00:07:19,814 --> 00:07:21,524 [Josh] But he won't say anything more. 136 00:07:24,944 --> 00:07:27,989 Over the next four days, a deeply troubled Olson travels 137 00:07:27,989 --> 00:07:31,242 back and forth to New York City with two of his colleagues 138 00:07:31,367 --> 00:07:36,038 to visit what Olson believes is a CIA-approved psychiatrist. 139 00:07:36,038 --> 00:07:39,542 While there, they take him to see a musical and a magic show 140 00:07:39,667 --> 00:07:41,252 in an attempt to lift his spirits. 141 00:07:43,379 --> 00:07:46,132 But despite this, Olson continues to show signs 142 00:07:46,132 --> 00:07:47,550 of declining mental health. 143 00:07:49,260 --> 00:07:50,386 Get away from me! 144 00:07:51,596 --> 00:07:55,433 [Josh] Finally, on November 27th, nine days after he first began 145 00:07:55,558 --> 00:07:59,061 behaving erratically and with his depressed and agitated 146 00:07:59,061 --> 00:08:02,398 symptoms continuing, Olson agrees to enter 147 00:08:02,398 --> 00:08:05,568 a sanitarium named Chestnut Lodge. 148 00:08:05,693 --> 00:08:08,446 But before heading to the facility, he and his CIA 149 00:08:08,571 --> 00:08:11,115 colleague, Robert Lashbrook, spend one final night 150 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,744 in New York staying at the Hotel Statler on the 10th floor. 151 00:08:20,750 --> 00:08:22,835 According to Lashbrook's account, in the middle of 152 00:08:22,835 --> 00:08:26,756 the night, around 2 AM, he wakes up just in time to see 153 00:08:26,756 --> 00:08:29,342 Olson sprinting across the room 154 00:08:29,342 --> 00:08:32,011 and diving full force through the window. 155 00:08:33,387 --> 00:08:34,805 - [glass shatters] - [Olson screaming] 156 00:08:38,809 --> 00:08:40,102 [heavy thud] 157 00:08:40,102 --> 00:08:42,772 [Josh] It's a grisly scene on the street below. 158 00:08:42,772 --> 00:08:47,151 Olson's mangled body is strewn across the sidewalk, dead. 159 00:08:47,276 --> 00:08:49,820 Authorities quickly rule his death a suicide. 160 00:08:50,988 --> 00:08:53,783 But there are whispers of foul play. 161 00:08:53,783 --> 00:08:56,786 Frank's wife is adamant that he would never kill himself. 162 00:08:57,912 --> 00:09:00,915 The night manager of the hotel also tells authorities that, 163 00:09:00,915 --> 00:09:03,834 quote, "in all my years in the hotel business, I never 164 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,420 "encountered a case where someone got up in the middle 165 00:09:06,420 --> 00:09:09,632 "of the night, ran across a dark room in his underwear, 166 00:09:09,632 --> 00:09:12,343 "avoiding two beds, and dove through a closed 167 00:09:12,468 --> 00:09:15,972 window with the shade and curtains drawn." 168 00:09:15,972 --> 00:09:19,684 Despite any lingering doubts, the official story of suicide 169 00:09:19,809 --> 00:09:23,479 holds for over 20 years, until the mid-1970s. 170 00:09:23,604 --> 00:09:25,648 That's when the U.S. government declassifies 171 00:09:25,773 --> 00:09:30,486 a bombshell report exposing decades of illegal CIA activity. 172 00:09:30,611 --> 00:09:33,489 And buried deep within its pages is the first crack 173 00:09:33,614 --> 00:09:35,992 in the agency's longstanding cover story. 174 00:09:43,457 --> 00:09:44,834 [Olson screaming] 175 00:09:47,545 --> 00:09:48,963 [heavy thud] 176 00:09:48,963 --> 00:09:52,383 [Josh] For over two decades, the CIA insists biological 177 00:09:52,383 --> 00:09:55,469 warfare expert Frank Olson took his own life. 178 00:09:55,469 --> 00:09:59,557 But then, in 1975, a newly-declassified document 179 00:09:59,557 --> 00:10:03,227 cracks the case wide open, hinting not at suicide, 180 00:10:03,227 --> 00:10:05,313 but something far more sinister. 181 00:10:06,814 --> 00:10:09,942 It's a single paragraph that reads in part, quote, 182 00:10:10,985 --> 00:10:14,322 "On one occasion, LSD was administered to an employee 183 00:10:14,322 --> 00:10:18,117 "of the Department of the Army without his knowledge. 184 00:10:18,117 --> 00:10:22,913 "He then developed and was sent to New York with a CIA escort 185 00:10:22,913 --> 00:10:24,665 "for psychiatric treatment. 186 00:10:24,790 --> 00:10:27,209 "Several days later, he jumped from a 10th-floor 187 00:10:27,335 --> 00:10:29,837 window of his room and died as a result." 188 00:10:31,797 --> 00:10:33,507 It's a stunning revelation. 189 00:10:33,507 --> 00:10:35,259 Michael Evans, editorial director at 190 00:10:35,259 --> 00:10:38,679 the National Security Archive, has spent decades uncovering 191 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,724 buried government secrets and has dug into what really 192 00:10:41,849 --> 00:10:43,100 happened to Frank Olson. 193 00:10:45,186 --> 00:10:49,774 Olson was among an elite group of chemists and scientists 194 00:10:49,774 --> 00:10:54,236 who were trying to develop methods to interrogate 195 00:10:54,362 --> 00:10:58,407 suspected enemy spies or defectors that they thought 196 00:10:58,532 --> 00:11:00,826 might be able to be turned. 197 00:11:00,826 --> 00:11:06,207 This is a time when-- 1949 and after, when LSD was really 198 00:11:06,332 --> 00:11:08,793 kind of all the rage among the people who were in charge 199 00:11:08,793 --> 00:11:11,879 of the CIA at the time, and including Sidney Gottlieb, 200 00:11:11,879 --> 00:11:14,674 who was the chief chemist at the CIA, were really sort 201 00:11:14,674 --> 00:11:17,718 of enthralled with the possibilities of what LSD 202 00:11:17,718 --> 00:11:20,971 could do in terms of finding a truth serum or a way 203 00:11:20,971 --> 00:11:22,515 to control human minds. 204 00:11:24,350 --> 00:11:26,560 The paragraph about the Olson case 205 00:11:26,686 --> 00:11:28,771 reveals that Sidney Gottlieb 206 00:11:28,896 --> 00:11:33,359 spiked the Cointreau at the retreat with LSD 207 00:11:33,359 --> 00:11:36,278 and did it without telling anyone. 208 00:11:36,404 --> 00:11:39,573 Just a few days after Frank Olson's death, 209 00:11:39,573 --> 00:11:42,034 there is a memo in the CIA 210 00:11:42,034 --> 00:11:47,289 to impound all of the LSD that it had on site 211 00:11:47,415 --> 00:11:50,668 or in various places around the world. 212 00:11:50,668 --> 00:11:54,964 So this is clear indication that they knew immediately that 213 00:11:55,089 --> 00:11:57,591 there was some connection between Frank's death 214 00:11:57,591 --> 00:12:00,720 and the LSD experiments that they were doing. 215 00:12:01,846 --> 00:12:04,265 [reporter] Anyone who knew during all of those years never told 216 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:07,893 Alice Olson the real story of her husband's death. 217 00:12:07,893 --> 00:12:09,437 She would discover it by accident 218 00:12:09,562 --> 00:12:11,480 more than two decades later. 219 00:12:11,605 --> 00:12:14,233 In essence, it was a 22-year-long cover-up. 220 00:12:16,944 --> 00:12:20,948 My anger was unbelievable at how I had been duped for this 221 00:12:21,073 --> 00:12:24,827 length of time and the anguish, which was unnecessary. 222 00:12:27,121 --> 00:12:31,125 The CIA's secret drugging of Frank Olson enraged his family. 223 00:12:31,250 --> 00:12:33,210 His wife, Alice, along with their son, Eric, 224 00:12:33,210 --> 00:12:35,588 sued the agency for wrongful death. 225 00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:40,509 They settled for $750,000 and an apology, but notably did 226 00:12:40,634 --> 00:12:42,762 not receive an admission of guilt. 227 00:12:42,762 --> 00:12:44,722 Eric was far from satisfied. 228 00:12:44,722 --> 00:12:47,475 He wanted the full story of what happened to his dad, 229 00:12:47,475 --> 00:12:49,977 so he set out to uncover the truth himself. 230 00:12:52,354 --> 00:12:54,690 He decides that the time has come to exhume his father's 231 00:12:54,815 --> 00:12:57,485 remains and to see what they might learn. 232 00:12:57,610 --> 00:13:00,988 They discovered that Frank Olson had a traumatic 233 00:13:00,988 --> 00:13:02,990 head wound to the front of his face, 234 00:13:02,990 --> 00:13:04,533 when he supposedly had landed 235 00:13:04,658 --> 00:13:07,369 on his back, when he hit the ground. 236 00:13:08,579 --> 00:13:11,373 So this raised a lot of questions about whether he had 237 00:13:11,499 --> 00:13:13,751 been struck by someone 238 00:13:13,751 --> 00:13:16,504 before potentially being thrown out the window. 239 00:13:18,380 --> 00:13:21,258 The official story was that Olson went face-first 240 00:13:21,258 --> 00:13:24,470 through a closed window, but a new autopsy revealed 241 00:13:24,470 --> 00:13:27,515 no cuts from glass, and it was concluded that the wound 242 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,601 on his forehead did not come from the fall. 243 00:13:30,601 --> 00:13:34,522 To Eric, this was clear proof that his father was murdered. 244 00:13:34,522 --> 00:13:36,941 It's a shocking accusation, but it also begs 245 00:13:36,941 --> 00:13:38,734 the question, why? 246 00:13:38,859 --> 00:13:41,904 Could it be because the CIA was worried Olson would reveal 247 00:13:42,029 --> 00:13:44,198 the dirty secrets of MKUltra? 248 00:13:46,492 --> 00:13:50,830 Frank Olson was among couple of dozen people who would have 249 00:13:50,830 --> 00:13:55,292 known almost all the details about the MKUltra Project 250 00:13:55,292 --> 00:13:59,046 and about all of these sinister programs that the CIA 251 00:13:59,046 --> 00:14:03,801 and the Army had been developing and using on people. 252 00:14:03,801 --> 00:14:07,805 Any revelations that he might have made in a mental state 253 00:14:07,805 --> 00:14:09,306 that was deteriorating 254 00:14:10,391 --> 00:14:11,892 would have been something that the CIA 255 00:14:11,892 --> 00:14:13,727 would have been very concerned about. 256 00:14:15,729 --> 00:14:19,024 It seems Eric was onto something, because in 2024, 257 00:14:19,024 --> 00:14:22,820 further top-secret CIA documents were declassified, 258 00:14:22,820 --> 00:14:26,407 showing there was indeed much more to Frank Olson's ending 259 00:14:26,532 --> 00:14:27,867 than was previously known. 260 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:34,498 In one especially damning document, we learn that 261 00:14:34,498 --> 00:14:37,918 the psychiatrist that Frank Olson was taken to see 262 00:14:38,043 --> 00:14:40,296 in New York City was not a psychiatrist at all, 263 00:14:40,421 --> 00:14:41,922 but rather an allergist. 264 00:14:42,047 --> 00:14:43,257 And his primary qualification 265 00:14:43,382 --> 00:14:45,593 was that he was doing LSD experiments for the CIA. 266 00:14:50,222 --> 00:14:52,600 But taken together, the collection suggests 267 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:56,395 strongly that the CIA was never interested in Frank Olson's 268 00:14:56,395 --> 00:14:58,480 mental health, but rather the security 269 00:14:58,606 --> 00:14:59,982 of the MKUltra Program. 270 00:15:03,944 --> 00:15:07,114 The documents and second autopsy don't conclusively 271 00:15:07,114 --> 00:15:09,992 prove Frank Olson's murder, but they do lay bare 272 00:15:10,117 --> 00:15:11,410 a disturbing truth. 273 00:15:11,410 --> 00:15:13,662 He was unknowingly dosed with hallucinogens 274 00:15:13,787 --> 00:15:16,540 by his own employer, the U.S. government. 275 00:15:16,540 --> 00:15:19,793 If there is one positive thing to come out of this nightmare, 276 00:15:19,793 --> 00:15:23,047 the declassified files suggest Olson's death helped bring 277 00:15:23,047 --> 00:15:25,883 an end to this disturbing secret program, 278 00:15:25,883 --> 00:15:29,386 as far as we know. The full unredacted truth may 279 00:15:29,386 --> 00:15:31,472 remain forever in the shadows. 280 00:15:36,101 --> 00:15:40,606 We've jumped back in time about 2,000 years to witness another 281 00:15:40,606 --> 00:15:43,150 death shrouded in deception. 282 00:15:43,275 --> 00:15:46,654 It's 30 BC, and I am deep in the heart of Alexandria, 283 00:15:46,779 --> 00:15:48,405 the capital of ancient Egypt, 284 00:15:48,405 --> 00:15:52,242 in the palace of legendary Queen Cleopatra. 285 00:15:52,242 --> 00:15:55,162 Her empire is crumbling, and minutes from now, 286 00:15:55,287 --> 00:15:56,664 she'll be dead. 287 00:15:56,789 --> 00:16:00,125 History tells us Cleopatra is about to take her own life, 288 00:16:00,125 --> 00:16:03,003 poisoning herself with a viper's bite. 289 00:16:03,128 --> 00:16:06,340 But millennia later, a remarkable new theory will 290 00:16:06,340 --> 00:16:10,177 tear up that old papyrus, rewriting everything we think 291 00:16:10,302 --> 00:16:13,597 we know about the death of the Queen of the Nile. 292 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,318 When ancient Egypt is conquered by Alexander the Great, 293 00:16:26,318 --> 00:16:29,863 it ushers in the Hellenistic Age, ruled by a dynasty 294 00:16:29,989 --> 00:16:33,367 of Macedonian Greeks known as the "Ptolemies." 295 00:16:33,492 --> 00:16:36,662 Almost 300 years later, in 69 BC, 296 00:16:36,662 --> 00:16:39,039 Cleopatra is born into this royal line, 297 00:16:39,039 --> 00:16:41,625 quickly proving herself to be a young woman 298 00:16:41,625 --> 00:16:44,336 of sharp intelligence and fierce ambition. 299 00:16:45,879 --> 00:16:48,841 When Cleopatra's father dies in 51 BC, 300 00:16:50,217 --> 00:16:53,721 she's just 18 and thrust into a battle for the throne. 301 00:16:55,389 --> 00:16:56,932 She initially shares control 302 00:16:57,057 --> 00:16:59,435 with her 10-year-old brother, Ptolemy VIII. 303 00:17:00,477 --> 00:17:03,522 And if co-ruling with your kid brother isn't awkward enough, 304 00:17:03,522 --> 00:17:07,401 Cleopatra marries him to keep the bloodline pure. 305 00:17:07,526 --> 00:17:10,404 Gross, but welcome to politics in the ancient world. 306 00:17:11,905 --> 00:17:14,992 Her brother-slash-husband wants the crown to himself. 307 00:17:14,992 --> 00:17:17,911 And before long, the sibling rivalry explodes 308 00:17:17,911 --> 00:17:19,580 into full-blown civil war. 309 00:17:19,705 --> 00:17:21,665 [indistinct crowd clamor] 310 00:17:23,917 --> 00:17:26,211 Cleopatra is driven out of Egypt. 311 00:17:26,211 --> 00:17:27,796 To get rid of her brother-husband 312 00:17:27,921 --> 00:17:29,089 and take back power, 313 00:17:29,089 --> 00:17:32,092 she turns to a visiting Roman general for help. 314 00:17:32,092 --> 00:17:34,261 His name? Julius Caesar. 315 00:17:35,262 --> 00:17:37,723 According to legend, to get an audience with him, 316 00:17:37,723 --> 00:17:39,892 Cleopatra is smuggled into his room 317 00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:41,769 inside a rolled-up carpet. 318 00:17:45,481 --> 00:17:47,524 Caesar is transfixed by her beauty. 319 00:17:49,526 --> 00:17:52,863 And even though he's 30 years older than her and married, 320 00:17:52,863 --> 00:17:56,116 Caesar and Cleopatra begin a legendary romance. 321 00:17:57,201 --> 00:18:00,079 And hey, it also doesn't hurt that he has the military might 322 00:18:00,079 --> 00:18:02,122 that she needs, and she has 323 00:18:02,122 --> 00:18:04,458 enough riches to keep the Roman coffers full. 324 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,005 There are many more twists and turns 325 00:18:10,130 --> 00:18:12,800 to Cleopatra's power struggle. 326 00:18:12,925 --> 00:18:15,219 If you're interested, crack open an Egyptian history 327 00:18:15,219 --> 00:18:16,553 book of your choice. 328 00:18:16,553 --> 00:18:18,430 Suffice it to say, though, Caesar gets 329 00:18:18,430 --> 00:18:22,142 Cleopatra her throne. He also gets her pregnant. 330 00:18:22,142 --> 00:18:27,064 In 47 BC, Cleopatra gives birth to Caesar's son, nicknaming him 331 00:18:27,064 --> 00:18:30,150 Caesarion, aka Little Caesar. 332 00:18:30,275 --> 00:18:31,527 Pizza, pizza. 333 00:18:33,529 --> 00:18:35,614 Cleopatra and Caesar's power-coupling 334 00:18:35,614 --> 00:18:37,574 lasts until 44 BC, 335 00:18:38,617 --> 00:18:42,704 when his Senate friends, led by Brutus, stab him in the back. 336 00:18:42,830 --> 00:18:44,373 Literally, like 23 times. 337 00:18:45,833 --> 00:18:48,669 After Caesar's death, Cleopatra urgently needs 338 00:18:48,794 --> 00:18:50,295 a new ally in Rome. 339 00:18:51,505 --> 00:18:54,508 Caesar's former protégé, General Mark Antony, 340 00:18:54,508 --> 00:18:57,719 rises to power as one of Rome's three new rulers. 341 00:18:59,054 --> 00:19:02,182 He asks Cleopatra for a meeting, and she agrees, 342 00:19:02,307 --> 00:19:05,435 eager to secure his Egypt alliance with Rome once more. 343 00:19:08,313 --> 00:19:12,359 Cleopatra reportedly arrives in high-style on a sumptuous 344 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:15,696 golden barge with purple sails, dressed in the robes 345 00:19:15,821 --> 00:19:17,823 of the goddess Isis. 346 00:19:17,823 --> 00:19:21,160 Cleopatra's beauty, not to mention her tremendous wealth, 347 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:22,870 is intoxicating. 348 00:19:22,870 --> 00:19:25,330 Though he's married, the great general falls 349 00:19:25,330 --> 00:19:28,208 for her, following right in Caesar's footsteps. 350 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,923 Mark Antony moves to Egypt to be with her, and they have 351 00:19:35,048 --> 00:19:36,466 three children together. 352 00:19:36,466 --> 00:19:37,968 In short, she's secured 353 00:19:37,968 --> 00:19:40,387 Rome's support and Mark Antony's heart. 354 00:19:42,014 --> 00:19:43,891 There's just one problem. 355 00:19:43,891 --> 00:19:47,311 Mark Antony has a new political rival, Octavian, 356 00:19:48,437 --> 00:19:51,732 the adopted son of the recently assassinated Julius Caesar. 357 00:19:54,401 --> 00:19:57,821 Octavian wants to be emperor and is no fan of Antony. 358 00:19:58,947 --> 00:20:02,576 To keep Octavian on his side, Mark Antony agrees to marry 359 00:20:02,576 --> 00:20:04,036 his sister, Octavia. 360 00:20:05,454 --> 00:20:08,081 That's right, Octavia and Octavian. 361 00:20:08,081 --> 00:20:10,417 The ancient Romans loved a matching nameset. 362 00:20:10,417 --> 00:20:11,668 Very confusing. 363 00:20:11,668 --> 00:20:15,214 After some quality time with Octavia, Mark Antony realizes 364 00:20:15,214 --> 00:20:17,549 she's no Cleopatra, abandons her, 365 00:20:17,549 --> 00:20:19,009 and returns to Egypt. 366 00:20:19,009 --> 00:20:20,469 It's a fateful choice. 367 00:20:20,594 --> 00:20:23,263 In doing so, he doesn't just break Octavia's heart, 368 00:20:23,388 --> 00:20:25,432 he ignites a war with Rome, 369 00:20:25,432 --> 00:20:27,935 a war that will end in one of the most iconic 370 00:20:28,060 --> 00:20:30,395 and controversial deaths in history. 371 00:20:37,986 --> 00:20:39,738 After Mark Antony leaves his well-connected wife Octavia 372 00:20:39,863 --> 00:20:42,199 to be with Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, 373 00:20:42,199 --> 00:20:43,533 all hell breaks loose. 374 00:20:45,077 --> 00:20:48,247 Outraged by the insult to his sister, the rising Roman 375 00:20:48,247 --> 00:20:52,834 ruler Octavian declares war against Antony and Cleopatra. 376 00:20:54,586 --> 00:20:57,756 In 31 BC, Cleopatra and Antony's combined 377 00:20:57,756 --> 00:21:00,342 forces face off against Octavian's fleet 378 00:21:00,342 --> 00:21:03,887 at the Battle of Actium, off the coast of Greece, 379 00:21:03,887 --> 00:21:05,847 only to suffer a crushing defeat. 380 00:21:07,432 --> 00:21:10,018 The lovers retreat to their Egyptian stronghold, 381 00:21:10,018 --> 00:21:12,271 but the support of their allies is dwindling. 382 00:21:15,023 --> 00:21:17,317 Octavian's army marches on Egypt. 383 00:21:18,485 --> 00:21:21,280 The royal city of Alexandria falls to the Romans, 384 00:21:21,405 --> 00:21:23,991 and instead of allowing himself to be captured, 385 00:21:24,116 --> 00:21:26,368 Mark Antony falls on his own sword, 386 00:21:26,368 --> 00:21:27,869 death by suicide. 387 00:21:30,122 --> 00:21:31,873 Barricading herself in her chambers 388 00:21:31,873 --> 00:21:33,083 with her treasures, 389 00:21:33,083 --> 00:21:35,127 Cleopatra prepares for the worst. 390 00:21:38,714 --> 00:21:41,300 It is said that as the Romans surround the palace, 391 00:21:41,425 --> 00:21:43,969 Cleopatra is told of her lover's death, 392 00:21:44,094 --> 00:21:46,972 and in despair, she has one of her handmaidens smuggle 393 00:21:46,972 --> 00:21:49,016 a venomous snake into her chambers 394 00:21:49,141 --> 00:21:50,309 in a basket of figs. 395 00:21:51,476 --> 00:21:54,187 According to the story, Cleopatra then kills herself 396 00:21:54,313 --> 00:21:56,273 by accepting the deadly snake bite. 397 00:21:57,482 --> 00:21:59,943 The report comes from the historian Plutarch, 398 00:21:59,943 --> 00:22:02,863 writing more than 100 years after Cleopatra's death. 399 00:22:04,489 --> 00:22:06,658 He even says Octavian has a sculpture 400 00:22:06,658 --> 00:22:09,536 of the Queen of the Nile carried in his victory parade 401 00:22:09,661 --> 00:22:11,747 with a snake clinging to her breast. 402 00:22:14,666 --> 00:22:16,418 Plutarch is far from the only account 403 00:22:16,418 --> 00:22:18,545 of Cleopatra's death, though. 404 00:22:18,670 --> 00:22:20,547 In the 2,000 years that follow, 405 00:22:20,672 --> 00:22:23,925 various other versions of how she ended her life emerge. 406 00:22:25,844 --> 00:22:28,013 She pricks herself with a poisonous hairpin. 407 00:22:30,057 --> 00:22:31,600 Drinks a homemade poison. 408 00:22:33,352 --> 00:22:36,396 Applies poisonous ointment to her skin. 409 00:22:36,521 --> 00:22:38,774 OK, so poison is definitely a theme. 410 00:22:40,067 --> 00:22:41,151 But can we prove it? 411 00:22:43,737 --> 00:22:47,115 With the death of Cleopatra, the Ptolemy dynasty is done, 412 00:22:47,115 --> 00:22:49,242 and Egypt has officially fallen. 413 00:22:49,368 --> 00:22:52,954 The Romans make a point of burying Cleopatra and her story. 414 00:22:52,954 --> 00:22:56,333 We don't even know the location where she was laid to rest. 415 00:22:56,333 --> 00:22:59,378 So did Cleopatra die the way we were told? 416 00:22:59,378 --> 00:23:02,672 Or is there another truth the Romans wanted hidden? 417 00:23:05,342 --> 00:23:08,220 The answer might lie in her burial, but for centuries, 418 00:23:08,220 --> 00:23:11,139 experts have searched in vain for Cleopatra's tomb. 419 00:23:12,724 --> 00:23:15,560 Historians believe the ruins of Taposiris Magna, 420 00:23:15,685 --> 00:23:18,980 outside Alexandria, could be the location of her burial. 421 00:23:20,482 --> 00:23:23,610 And in 2017, I did some digging there myself. 422 00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:28,532 Archaeologist Kathleen Martínez and I opened an ancient crypt. 423 00:23:30,033 --> 00:23:32,577 And using a high-tech camera, we peered inside. 424 00:23:33,995 --> 00:23:34,955 That's a skull. 425 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:36,706 Look at that, buried in the sand. 426 00:23:36,706 --> 00:23:38,667 - That's a human skull. - [Dr. Martínez] Yes. 427 00:23:38,667 --> 00:23:40,460 Oh, my God. 428 00:23:40,585 --> 00:23:42,170 [Dr. Martínez] You can see two skulls. 429 00:23:42,170 --> 00:23:45,424 Unbelievable! Another skull. 430 00:23:45,549 --> 00:23:48,093 There were two bodies together in the crypt, 431 00:23:48,218 --> 00:23:50,470 but no royal implements. 432 00:23:50,595 --> 00:23:54,266 It's an amazing find, but not Cleopatra. 433 00:23:54,266 --> 00:23:57,102 In the years since I joined the search, Kathleen has 434 00:23:57,102 --> 00:24:01,022 continued her excavations at Taposiris Magna, making further 435 00:24:01,022 --> 00:24:03,942 remarkable discoveries, including new tunnels, 436 00:24:04,067 --> 00:24:06,987 a sunken port, and hundreds of coins bearing 437 00:24:07,112 --> 00:24:10,323 Cleopatra's image, as well as two statuettes. 438 00:24:10,449 --> 00:24:13,493 Intriguing, but no burial site yet. 439 00:24:13,618 --> 00:24:16,413 Meanwhile, other new insights into her death are emerging 440 00:24:16,413 --> 00:24:19,291 from a different kind of expert, an acclaimed criminal 441 00:24:19,416 --> 00:24:22,627 profiler who suggests her death was not a suicide, 442 00:24:22,752 --> 00:24:24,796 but a calculated assassination. 443 00:24:24,921 --> 00:24:27,466 Professor of Ancient Religions Hugo Mendez has 444 00:24:27,591 --> 00:24:29,009 closely studied the findings. 445 00:24:31,928 --> 00:24:34,264 [Dr. Mendez] In her book, "The Murder of Cleopatra, 446 00:24:34,264 --> 00:24:38,685 History's Greatest Cold Case," criminal investigator Pat Brown 447 00:24:38,810 --> 00:24:41,855 argues that the Queen of the Nile definitely 448 00:24:41,980 --> 00:24:43,815 did not take her own life. 449 00:24:43,815 --> 00:24:46,485 Brown looks at Cleopatra's death like any other 450 00:24:46,610 --> 00:24:48,111 homicide cold case. 451 00:24:48,111 --> 00:24:51,490 She's taking stock of the body, the weapons, 452 00:24:51,615 --> 00:24:53,325 the witnesses, even the motive. 453 00:24:54,868 --> 00:24:57,537 The narrative is suspect from the beginning. 454 00:24:57,662 --> 00:25:00,832 Cleopatra, this is someone who was raised with all 455 00:25:00,832 --> 00:25:03,168 of the political intrigue of the era. 456 00:25:03,168 --> 00:25:06,296 She's calculating, she's indomitable. 457 00:25:06,296 --> 00:25:10,342 She's someone who is thought to have killed members of her own 458 00:25:10,342 --> 00:25:12,677 family to stay on the throne. 459 00:25:12,802 --> 00:25:16,473 She's not the kind of person who's gonna fall apart because 460 00:25:16,473 --> 00:25:17,849 of Mark Antony. 461 00:25:17,974 --> 00:25:21,102 The author argues that based on every historical account 462 00:25:21,102 --> 00:25:25,148 of Cleopatra that we have, it is totally out of character that 463 00:25:25,148 --> 00:25:27,651 she would commit suicide, even with the Romans 464 00:25:27,651 --> 00:25:28,693 at the door. 465 00:25:28,693 --> 00:25:30,070 An analysis of the crime scene 466 00:25:30,195 --> 00:25:34,157 itself also raises serious red flags. 467 00:25:34,157 --> 00:25:38,119 Why did the women not exhibit any of the characteristic signs 468 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:41,706 of snake poisoning? Vomiting, convulsions. 469 00:25:41,831 --> 00:25:43,708 We don't hear about this in the record. 470 00:25:43,833 --> 00:25:46,503 For that matter, why is the snake never discovered 471 00:25:46,503 --> 00:25:47,796 in the chamber? 472 00:25:47,796 --> 00:25:49,673 The snake should be with the women, 473 00:25:49,673 --> 00:25:51,216 but that's not in the story. 474 00:25:52,634 --> 00:25:54,594 So let's say that there is no snake. 475 00:25:54,719 --> 00:25:58,723 Imagine that Cleopatra is able to concoct her own poison, 476 00:25:58,848 --> 00:26:01,351 a poison she can stab herself with 477 00:26:01,351 --> 00:26:03,937 or use as an ointment or drink. 478 00:26:04,062 --> 00:26:07,899 The problem is that there is no poisonous object described 479 00:26:08,024 --> 00:26:10,318 in the scene. So where's the murder weapon? 480 00:26:11,987 --> 00:26:15,240 The purported crime scene doesn't make any sense. 481 00:26:17,242 --> 00:26:21,288 It's often said that history is written by the victors. 482 00:26:21,413 --> 00:26:25,083 And our understanding of Cleopatra's death was written 483 00:26:25,208 --> 00:26:26,918 by her enemies. 484 00:26:26,918 --> 00:26:30,880 Interestingly, Cleopatra's suicide by snakebite story was 485 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,717 strategically promoted by the same man who had the most 486 00:26:33,717 --> 00:26:38,138 to gain from her untimely demise, the Emperor Octavian. 487 00:26:38,263 --> 00:26:39,681 A living Cleopatra would have 488 00:26:39,681 --> 00:26:42,434 been very, very dangerous to Rome. 489 00:26:42,559 --> 00:26:45,186 She was likely the mother of Caesar's only child, 490 00:26:45,186 --> 00:26:47,772 and she was a respected leader who had the support 491 00:26:47,897 --> 00:26:49,441 of the Egyptian people. 492 00:26:49,566 --> 00:26:53,695 [Dr. Mendez] To openly kill Cleopatra might have inspired the Egyptians 493 00:26:53,695 --> 00:26:55,030 to rebel. 494 00:26:55,030 --> 00:26:57,949 On the other hand, keeping her alive would also 495 00:26:58,074 --> 00:27:01,244 have triggered violent uprisings in her name. 496 00:27:01,244 --> 00:27:05,332 It seems much more likely that Cleopatra is imprisoned, 497 00:27:05,457 --> 00:27:09,002 beaten, and tortured by Octavian in an attempt 498 00:27:09,127 --> 00:27:12,547 to try to find the location of her son, Caesarion, 499 00:27:12,547 --> 00:27:16,051 who represents a direct threat to his rule. 500 00:27:16,051 --> 00:27:20,472 And ultimately, Octavian had Cleopatra murdered. 501 00:27:20,472 --> 00:27:22,974 The evidence can only be circumstantial 502 00:27:22,974 --> 00:27:25,435 after 2,000 years, 503 00:27:25,435 --> 00:27:28,396 but Octavian certainly had the motive, 504 00:27:28,396 --> 00:27:31,107 the means, and the opportunity 505 00:27:31,107 --> 00:27:33,026 to kill Cleopatra. 506 00:27:33,151 --> 00:27:35,612 Since Cleopatra's body has never been found, 507 00:27:35,612 --> 00:27:39,491 there's no way to reexamine it for any signs of foul play. 508 00:27:39,491 --> 00:27:42,827 But Octavian's behavior after Cleopatra's death, 509 00:27:42,827 --> 00:27:45,246 you could argue it screams cover-up. 510 00:27:45,246 --> 00:27:49,042 He wastes no time wiping out every rival to the throne, 511 00:27:49,167 --> 00:27:52,212 including killing Cleopatra Cleopatra's son, Caesarion. 512 00:27:52,337 --> 00:27:55,840 One by one, the royal bloodline is wiped out, and within weeks, 513 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,259 Cleopatra's dynasty is gone. 514 00:27:58,259 --> 00:28:01,221 And so, despite committing the most famous suicide 515 00:28:01,346 --> 00:28:05,016 in history, it may be that history got it wrong, 516 00:28:05,016 --> 00:28:07,727 and Cleopatra didn't die by her own hand. 517 00:28:07,852 --> 00:28:10,605 Instead, she may have been murdered by an empire 518 00:28:10,605 --> 00:28:11,898 that sought to erase her. 519 00:28:16,236 --> 00:28:19,864 It's 2017, and I'm in a quiet little consignment store 520 00:28:19,864 --> 00:28:21,783 in Silver City, New Mexico, 521 00:28:21,783 --> 00:28:23,284 where the tables are lined 522 00:28:23,284 --> 00:28:25,286 with secondhand items. 523 00:28:25,286 --> 00:28:27,372 It looks like the usual junk. 524 00:28:27,372 --> 00:28:29,749 But, oh, hey, that painting's worth something. 525 00:28:29,874 --> 00:28:33,545 And by something, I mean $160 million. 526 00:28:33,545 --> 00:28:36,047 That's because it's by Willem de Kooning, 527 00:28:36,047 --> 00:28:40,135 the famed 20th-century abstract expressionist, hiding in plain 528 00:28:40,135 --> 00:28:43,513 sight like just another garage sale leftover. 529 00:28:43,513 --> 00:28:46,224 It's also at the heart of one of the most audacious 530 00:28:46,224 --> 00:28:48,351 art heists in history. 531 00:28:48,351 --> 00:28:51,104 Who stole it, and how did it get here? 532 00:28:51,229 --> 00:28:53,773 We expose the secrets of the crime and reveal 533 00:28:53,898 --> 00:28:56,901 the last people you'd ever expect to be behind it. 534 00:29:06,286 --> 00:29:09,330 We begin on the day of the theft, November 29th, 535 00:29:09,330 --> 00:29:12,542 1985, the day after Thanksgiving. 536 00:29:13,877 --> 00:29:15,253 Just before 9 AM, 537 00:29:15,253 --> 00:29:18,173 staff at the University of Arizona Museum of Art 538 00:29:18,173 --> 00:29:19,758 prepare to open the doors. 539 00:29:24,137 --> 00:29:26,264 While a security guard unlocks the entrance 540 00:29:26,389 --> 00:29:27,766 for an arriving employee, 541 00:29:28,933 --> 00:29:31,436 a man and a woman also ask to be let in. 542 00:29:33,021 --> 00:29:34,606 The guard thinks nothing of it, 543 00:29:34,731 --> 00:29:36,566 allowing these visitors early entry. 544 00:29:41,321 --> 00:29:44,240 The couple climbs a flight of stairs to the second floor. 545 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:45,950 A guard trails close behind them. 546 00:29:47,994 --> 00:29:49,704 The woman suddenly stops. 547 00:29:49,704 --> 00:29:52,165 Turning, she strikes up a conversation with the guard 548 00:29:52,290 --> 00:29:54,709 about a painting hanging in the stairwell. 549 00:29:54,709 --> 00:29:56,461 Her partner, he keeps going. 550 00:29:59,798 --> 00:30:02,425 Moments later, the man descends the stairs, 551 00:30:02,425 --> 00:30:05,428 reunites with the woman, and together they simply walk 552 00:30:05,428 --> 00:30:08,139 out the door not 15 minutes after they arrived. 553 00:30:09,933 --> 00:30:12,769 A little odd, but nothing to panic about, right? 554 00:30:14,979 --> 00:30:17,482 That is, until he enters the second floor gallery 555 00:30:19,192 --> 00:30:20,527 and comes face to face 556 00:30:20,652 --> 00:30:23,321 with his worst nightmare, an empty frame. 557 00:30:25,740 --> 00:30:28,201 One of the museum's most prized possessions, 558 00:30:28,326 --> 00:30:31,204 Willem De Kooning's masterpiece, "Woman-Ochre," 559 00:30:31,329 --> 00:30:33,206 has been sliced from its frame. 560 00:30:35,583 --> 00:30:38,962 One vanished painting, two nameless thieves, 561 00:30:38,962 --> 00:30:42,048 and a trail that will go cold for 30 years. 562 00:30:50,223 --> 00:30:55,270 [Josh] A $160 million masterpiece called "Woman-Ochre" has been 563 00:30:55,395 --> 00:30:58,064 stolen from the University of Arizona Museum. 564 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,652 Painted in 1955 by the Dutch-American artist 565 00:31:02,777 --> 00:31:05,572 Willem De Kooning, a major figure in the New York 566 00:31:05,572 --> 00:31:09,033 art scene and a pioneer of abstract expressionism. 567 00:31:10,285 --> 00:31:12,871 Museum staff, shaken and confused, 568 00:31:12,871 --> 00:31:15,081 stare at the empty frame. 569 00:31:15,081 --> 00:31:17,834 Panic sets in, as they call the authorities. 570 00:31:17,959 --> 00:31:20,628 The painting was one of the museum's most important 571 00:31:20,628 --> 00:31:23,089 works, but security was minimal 572 00:31:23,089 --> 00:31:25,216 and there were no cameras in the gallery. 573 00:31:26,968 --> 00:31:30,388 The theft itself is as brazen as it is crude. 574 00:31:30,388 --> 00:31:34,142 The woman's accomplice has cut the 30-inch by 40-inch painting 575 00:31:34,142 --> 00:31:38,104 from its frame with a blade, then simply folded the canvas 576 00:31:38,104 --> 00:31:40,148 and put it under his coat. 577 00:31:40,273 --> 00:31:43,526 And just like that, they and the painting are gone. 578 00:31:46,112 --> 00:31:49,115 And to make matters worse, there are almost no leads. 579 00:31:51,284 --> 00:31:53,620 The FBI is called in, creating sketches 580 00:31:53,620 --> 00:31:55,079 of the suspects. 581 00:31:55,079 --> 00:31:58,333 But all they have are very vague descriptions. 582 00:31:58,333 --> 00:32:02,837 The woman, about 50, thin, glasses, a scarf wrapped 583 00:32:02,837 --> 00:32:04,547 around her graying hair. 584 00:32:04,672 --> 00:32:08,509 The man, in his 50s, stocky, dark hair, 585 00:32:08,635 --> 00:32:09,761 a trim mustache. 586 00:32:11,596 --> 00:32:13,139 Possibly wearing disguises. 587 00:32:16,059 --> 00:32:19,020 And despite chasing down every possible clue, 588 00:32:19,020 --> 00:32:21,814 like interviewing art dealers around the world, 589 00:32:21,814 --> 00:32:23,942 following up on black market tips 590 00:32:23,942 --> 00:32:27,028 and interrogating possible suspects, 591 00:32:27,028 --> 00:32:29,197 the painting has become a ghost. 592 00:32:31,449 --> 00:32:33,952 But that doesn't stop it from increasing in value. 593 00:32:35,078 --> 00:32:38,289 By 2015, the University of Arizona estimates that 594 00:32:38,289 --> 00:32:41,000 the still-missing De Kooning masterpiece is worth 595 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:45,088 a jaw-dropping $160 million. 596 00:32:47,882 --> 00:32:51,219 That brings us back to 2017 and that consignment shop 597 00:32:51,219 --> 00:32:53,805 in Silver City, New Mexico. 598 00:32:53,805 --> 00:32:57,058 The store's owner, David van Auker, has recently acquired 599 00:32:57,058 --> 00:33:00,353 what he believes is just an ordinary painting as part 600 00:33:00,353 --> 00:33:04,565 of a $2,000 estate sale from a recently deceased couple, 601 00:33:04,691 --> 00:33:06,734 Jerry and Rita Alter. 602 00:33:06,859 --> 00:33:09,904 It leans against that wall for two weeks, until one day 603 00:33:09,904 --> 00:33:14,075 a customer says it's a De Kooning and offers $200,000 604 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:15,910 for the artwork. 605 00:33:15,910 --> 00:33:19,914 Van Auker, excited, does what any modern-day sleuth would do. 606 00:33:20,039 --> 00:33:21,165 He Googles it. 607 00:33:21,165 --> 00:33:23,376 And what pops up stops him cold. 608 00:33:27,463 --> 00:33:31,384 It's De Kooning's "Woman-Ochre," stolen 30 years ago, 609 00:33:31,384 --> 00:33:33,553 now worth millions. 610 00:33:33,553 --> 00:33:36,597 Van Auker contacts the museum, describing the painting. 611 00:33:40,101 --> 00:33:41,853 The museum's curator is hopefully 612 00:33:41,853 --> 00:33:43,438 optimistic but cautious. 613 00:33:44,647 --> 00:33:47,984 Then the photos arrive. The dimensions come in. 614 00:33:48,109 --> 00:33:51,195 And just like that, suspicion turns to certainty. 615 00:33:56,743 --> 00:34:00,747 The stolen masterpiece embarks on an extraordinary homecoming, 616 00:34:00,747 --> 00:34:05,334 back to the museum it vanished from over three decades ago. 617 00:34:05,460 --> 00:34:09,088 Van Auker is offered a reward, but politely declines, 618 00:34:09,088 --> 00:34:11,883 saying he returned stolen property, 619 00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:13,301 something everyone should do. 620 00:34:15,261 --> 00:34:17,305 With the painting's authenticity confirmed, 621 00:34:17,430 --> 00:34:19,474 the FBI starts connecting the dots. 622 00:34:21,642 --> 00:34:24,604 Van Auker purchased the piece from the estate of the late 623 00:34:24,604 --> 00:34:27,482 Jerry and Rita Alter, a senior seemingly ordinary 624 00:34:27,607 --> 00:34:29,901 couple living in New Mexico. 625 00:34:29,901 --> 00:34:31,944 Jerry was a retired music teacher 626 00:34:31,944 --> 00:34:34,655 who died in 2012. 627 00:34:34,655 --> 00:34:36,491 And Rita was a speech therapist 628 00:34:36,616 --> 00:34:38,326 who passed in 2017. 629 00:34:39,911 --> 00:34:41,954 They had no criminal record. 630 00:34:45,833 --> 00:34:48,419 Hardly the type to pull off one of the biggest art heists 631 00:34:48,419 --> 00:34:50,671 in history, or so it seemed. 632 00:34:53,549 --> 00:34:55,968 When authorities revisit the original case file, 633 00:34:55,968 --> 00:34:57,678 something stands out. 634 00:34:57,804 --> 00:34:59,347 The sketch of the male suspect 635 00:34:59,472 --> 00:35:02,642 bears a resemblance to Jerry, without the mustache. 636 00:35:04,185 --> 00:35:06,521 And the woman who distracted the guard? 637 00:35:06,646 --> 00:35:09,607 A possible match for Rita, minus the gray hair. 638 00:35:10,817 --> 00:35:12,360 Could it be them? 639 00:35:12,485 --> 00:35:15,863 Did this unassuming couple really steal a painting 640 00:35:15,863 --> 00:35:18,366 worth $160 million? 641 00:35:26,082 --> 00:35:27,583 The CIA's MKUltra Program included many 642 00:35:27,583 --> 00:35:30,378 controversial experiments, but arguably the most 643 00:35:30,503 --> 00:35:33,464 outrageous was Operation Midnight Climax, 644 00:35:33,464 --> 00:35:36,342 launched in 1953. 645 00:35:36,342 --> 00:35:40,346 Prostitutes on the CIA payroll in New York and San Francisco 646 00:35:40,346 --> 00:35:43,141 lured unsuspecting men into fake brothels, 647 00:35:44,934 --> 00:35:48,354 where they were secretly dosed with LSD, all while agents 648 00:35:48,354 --> 00:35:50,064 observed through one-way mirrors. 649 00:35:51,357 --> 00:35:54,360 The aim was to study how drugs and sex could be used 650 00:35:54,485 --> 00:35:56,863 for interrogation and control. 651 00:35:56,863 --> 00:35:59,949 This jaw-dropping and pants-dropping top-secret 652 00:35:59,949 --> 00:36:02,785 operation ran for a decade before being exposed 653 00:36:02,785 --> 00:36:05,538 in congressional hearings in the '70s. 654 00:36:05,663 --> 00:36:08,541 In the end, it turns out the biggest trip of MKUltra 655 00:36:08,541 --> 00:36:10,001 wasn't the LSD. 656 00:36:10,001 --> 00:36:12,879 It was how kinky the U.S. government was willing to get 657 00:36:13,004 --> 00:36:14,672 in the name of mind control. 658 00:36:19,010 --> 00:36:21,095 Jerry and Rita Alter lived ordinary lives. 659 00:36:21,095 --> 00:36:23,848 But with their deaths, they've become prime suspects 660 00:36:23,973 --> 00:36:27,977 in an extraordinary 160-million-dollar art heist. 661 00:36:27,977 --> 00:36:30,271 The painting was traced to their estate. 662 00:36:30,271 --> 00:36:32,690 And the resemblance between the couple in the original 663 00:36:32,690 --> 00:36:33,774 police sketches? 664 00:36:33,774 --> 00:36:35,568 Well, let's just say it ain't looking good 665 00:36:35,693 --> 00:36:37,153 for Jerry and Rita. 666 00:36:37,153 --> 00:36:39,614 That's not definitive proof they did it, though. 667 00:36:39,614 --> 00:36:40,865 That proof is coming. 668 00:36:42,366 --> 00:36:45,661 The FBI discovers damning evidence. 669 00:36:45,661 --> 00:36:48,915 Travel records and a photo placing Jerry and Rita 670 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:52,710 in Tucson on Thanksgiving Day, 1985. 671 00:36:52,835 --> 00:36:55,796 They were in town when the painting was stolen. 672 00:36:55,796 --> 00:36:57,590 Right place, right time. 673 00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:01,427 But then comes the smoking gun. 674 00:37:01,552 --> 00:37:04,222 Pictures of the stolen painting itself. 675 00:37:04,222 --> 00:37:07,850 Photos from inside the Alters' home showing the De Kooning, 676 00:37:07,850 --> 00:37:10,353 not stashed away, but proudly hanging 677 00:37:10,353 --> 00:37:11,687 in their bedroom. 678 00:37:11,687 --> 00:37:14,398 Authorities are convinced they have finally solved 679 00:37:14,523 --> 00:37:17,610 the case that has baffled them for decades. 680 00:37:17,735 --> 00:37:21,405 But since Jerry and Rita died before their crime was exposed, 681 00:37:21,530 --> 00:37:24,033 it left investigators with a huge question. 682 00:37:24,033 --> 00:37:25,493 Why did they do it? 683 00:37:25,493 --> 00:37:28,079 Art world investigative journalist Charles Sabba 684 00:37:28,079 --> 00:37:30,122 has been working to complete the picture. 685 00:37:31,874 --> 00:37:34,961 [Sabba] On the surface, Jerry and Rita Alter appeared to be 686 00:37:35,086 --> 00:37:38,923 a reserved, quiet couple from New York who retired and left 687 00:37:38,923 --> 00:37:42,927 New York to live in Cliff, New Mexico, to escape what 688 00:37:43,052 --> 00:37:45,221 they referred to as "the rat race." 689 00:37:45,221 --> 00:37:47,431 He was a schoolteacher. He played the clarinet. 690 00:37:47,431 --> 00:37:49,892 He played the sax. He taught music. 691 00:37:49,892 --> 00:37:55,273 Everyone describes her as really adorable, loving, kind. 692 00:37:55,398 --> 00:37:59,735 So Jerry and Rita Alter did appear to be a normal couple, 693 00:37:59,735 --> 00:38:03,864 but because the Alters have passed and never confessed, 694 00:38:03,864 --> 00:38:07,785 it leaves really unsettling questions that are still out 695 00:38:07,785 --> 00:38:12,790 there as to who actually did this, or did anyone help them, 696 00:38:12,790 --> 00:38:15,626 or were there any other crimes committed? 697 00:38:15,626 --> 00:38:19,338 Sabba believes Jerry left behind a confession of sorts, 698 00:38:19,463 --> 00:38:22,425 hidden within a book of short stories he wrote and published 699 00:38:22,425 --> 00:38:25,136 in 2011, titled "The Cup and the Lip." 700 00:38:27,305 --> 00:38:29,598 [Sabba] In his book, "The Cup and the Lip," 701 00:38:29,598 --> 00:38:34,270 he describes the couple that steals artwork, that he says 702 00:38:34,270 --> 00:38:38,149 this couple fills their psychological need 703 00:38:38,149 --> 00:38:42,320 by stealing, by creating larceny, and then they hide it 704 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:45,990 in their house where only for their viewing pleasure only. 705 00:38:45,990 --> 00:38:49,660 I think he is borderline sociopath. 706 00:38:49,660 --> 00:38:51,329 And there is a feeling of power 707 00:38:51,454 --> 00:38:53,497 when you get away with something like stealing 708 00:38:53,622 --> 00:38:55,124 the important painting. 709 00:38:55,124 --> 00:38:57,335 That whole book pretty much gave us 710 00:38:57,335 --> 00:38:59,587 the psychological profile of him. 711 00:39:01,297 --> 00:39:04,300 Was Jerry's motive really just about the satisfaction 712 00:39:04,300 --> 00:39:06,344 of committing the perfect crime? 713 00:39:06,344 --> 00:39:09,013 A closer look at the couple suggests that, in private, 714 00:39:09,138 --> 00:39:11,599 they also seemed to enjoy living large. 715 00:39:11,599 --> 00:39:13,517 These modest retirees somehow owned 716 00:39:13,517 --> 00:39:15,644 a bronze Remington statue, 717 00:39:15,644 --> 00:39:17,897 a prized Western sculpture worth 718 00:39:18,022 --> 00:39:19,774 tens of thousands of dollars. 719 00:39:19,774 --> 00:39:24,028 They also traveled to over 140 countries, thanks to a secret 720 00:39:24,028 --> 00:39:26,614 bank account containing over a million dollars. 721 00:39:28,783 --> 00:39:30,701 [Sabba] There was something very strange about 722 00:39:30,701 --> 00:39:32,995 the Alters' lifestyle. 723 00:39:32,995 --> 00:39:37,291 Even though they had modest incomes and modest careers, 724 00:39:37,291 --> 00:39:40,836 they went from having a piece of property with a trailer, 725 00:39:40,836 --> 00:39:44,215 to a beautiful home with a built-in pool. 726 00:39:44,215 --> 00:39:48,386 It was very suspicious and caused a lot of talk. 727 00:39:48,386 --> 00:39:51,555 [Josh] Not exactly the financial profile of two retired 728 00:39:51,555 --> 00:39:53,057 school teachers. 729 00:39:53,182 --> 00:39:55,101 How did they have a million dollars in their account? 730 00:39:55,226 --> 00:39:57,686 How did they travel the world? How did they buy a Remington? 731 00:39:57,686 --> 00:40:01,816 How did these people with such modest income... 732 00:40:01,816 --> 00:40:05,653 become collectors and house owners and, you know, 733 00:40:05,653 --> 00:40:07,530 world travelers? 734 00:40:07,530 --> 00:40:11,826 To me, it means that they were finding another means to fuel 735 00:40:11,826 --> 00:40:13,994 that lavish lifestyle. 736 00:40:13,994 --> 00:40:16,872 The suspicions are valid. 737 00:40:16,872 --> 00:40:19,834 [Josh] But if Jerry and Rita never sold the "Woman-Ochre" 738 00:40:19,834 --> 00:40:23,045 for profit, where did all that money come from? 739 00:40:23,045 --> 00:40:24,880 Could they have been secretly stealing 740 00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:26,674 and selling other artworks? 741 00:40:28,050 --> 00:40:32,263 In 2023, a researcher spotted two paintings on an art auction 742 00:40:32,263 --> 00:40:34,765 site that looked oddly familiar. 743 00:40:34,765 --> 00:40:38,727 And then he remembered a photo from inside the Alter's home. 744 00:40:38,727 --> 00:40:40,604 Zooming in, there they were. 745 00:40:40,729 --> 00:40:42,982 "Oklahoma Cheyenne," by Joseph Sharp, 746 00:40:43,107 --> 00:40:45,192 and "Aspens," by Victor Higgins, 747 00:40:45,192 --> 00:40:49,613 stolen from the Harwood Museum of New Mexico, in 1985. 748 00:40:49,613 --> 00:40:52,491 The theft of these two paintings had all the same 749 00:40:52,616 --> 00:40:56,662 hallmarks of the "Woman-Ochre" heist, a disguised couple, 750 00:40:56,787 --> 00:40:58,789 paintings cut from their frames, 751 00:40:58,914 --> 00:41:00,374 and a clean getaway. 752 00:41:01,417 --> 00:41:06,547 I strongly believe other works will come up with the odor 753 00:41:06,547 --> 00:41:08,591 of the Alters on them. 754 00:41:08,591 --> 00:41:11,510 If the Alters really did snatch not one, 755 00:41:11,635 --> 00:41:14,138 but three paintings, who knows how many other 756 00:41:14,138 --> 00:41:17,141 masterpieces they might have stolen and sold. 757 00:41:17,141 --> 00:41:19,018 As for the painting at the center of it all, 758 00:41:19,143 --> 00:41:21,437 "Woman-Ochre," it triumphantly returned 759 00:41:21,437 --> 00:41:25,816 to the University of Arizona Museum of Art, in 2022. 760 00:41:25,816 --> 00:41:28,319 Worth noting, the museum has now significantly 761 00:41:28,319 --> 00:41:29,695 increased security. 762 00:41:29,820 --> 00:41:32,239 Smuggling it out under your jacket is, thankfully, 763 00:41:32,239 --> 00:41:33,532 no longer an option. 764 00:41:33,657 --> 00:41:34,575 I'm Josh Gates. 765 00:41:34,575 --> 00:41:36,452 I'll see you on the next expedition.