1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,440 MUSIC 2 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,040 So the FBI's official story is... 3 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:10,840 Wrong. 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:12,040 That's a bombshell. 5 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:16,240 MUSIC 6 00:00:16,240 --> 00:00:18,080 Who do you think D.B. Cooper is? 7 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:20,520 I know who D.B. Cooper is. 8 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:21,720 It's this young man. 9 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:22,880 MUSIC 10 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:23,960 Hey, Josh. 11 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:24,960 I think I got something here. 12 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,360 I think it could be a serial number off the parachute. 13 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:29,320 Oh! Look at this! 14 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,880 I know the precise spot where the money was buried. 15 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:34,600 MUSIC 16 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:35,600 Here it goes! 17 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,480 MUSIC 18 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:38,280 Careful, careful, careful! 19 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:39,280 Oh! 20 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:40,280 F***! 21 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,480 MUSIC 22 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:45,480 Eric! 23 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:46,480 Look at this! 24 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:47,480 MUSIC 25 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:49,120 That looks like it's off a briefcase. 26 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:57,200 MUSIC 27 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,560 There aren't many cold cases that could still captivate a nation 28 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,160 after half a century. 29 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,640 But then again, D.B. Cooper has always been one of a kind. 30 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:11,240 A daring criminal who skyjacked a domestic flight in 1971, 31 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,120 he grabbed hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom 32 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,320 before parachuting into the realm of legend. 33 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:21,040 Despite a massive FBI manhunt, 34 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:25,120 Cooper's whereabouts and identity are a hotly debated mystery. 35 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:29,640 And it remains the only unsolved skyjacking in American history, 36 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:31,520 perhaps the perfect crime. 37 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:33,800 MUSIC 38 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:39,400 A few years ago, I decided to enter what experts call the Cooper Vortex, 39 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:45,400 a virtual black hole swirling with theories pursued by obsessive citizen sleuths. 40 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:47,080 Hell, I became one myself. 41 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:48,080 D.B. Cooper! 42 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:49,080 D.B. Cooper! 43 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:50,080 Yeah! 44 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,840 I searched low and high. 45 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:54,320 Oh my God! 46 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:58,560 And helped uncover some of the most momentous evidence in decades, 47 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:03,480 the discovery of rare element particles on Cooper's necktie. 48 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,480 And now, the case is turning hot yet again. 49 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,600 MUSIC 50 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,880 Recently uncovered audio recordings are revealing a new suspect 51 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,040 and an unexplored search area. 52 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:20,600 Meanwhile, a high-tech discovery is rewriting the story of the missing ransom money. 53 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:26,000 And one resolute investigator with FBI documents believes he's honed in 54 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,280 on the true location of Cooper's daring jump. 55 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:30,880 MUSIC 56 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,160 So grab a parachute and join me if you dare, 57 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:39,560 as we dive back into the vortex in pursuit of the real D.B. Cooper. 58 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,720 MUSIC 59 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,680 My name is Josh Gates. 60 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:45,920 Hello! 61 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:47,760 Explorer. 62 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:48,560 Adventurer. 63 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:49,880 This is sick! 64 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:53,680 And a guy who ends up in some very strange situation. 65 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:54,680 Oh, f***! 66 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,280 Whoo! That was exciting! 67 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,440 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained, 68 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,960 I travel to the ends of the earth, 69 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,960 investigating the greatest legends in history. 70 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:06,520 Okay, let's punch it! 71 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:08,720 This is Expedition Unknown. 72 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:18,640 MUSIC 73 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:21,440 Thanksgiving Eve, 1971. 74 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,320 A mysterious figure behind dark sunglasses 75 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:28,520 carries a briefcase aboard Northwest Orient Flight 305, 76 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,640 a domestic hop from Portland, Oregon to here, Seattle, Washington, 77 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:35,880 home of Boeing and the inspiring Museum of Flight. 78 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:38,200 MUSIC 79 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:39,600 The name on his ticket? 80 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:40,840 Dan Cooper. 81 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:41,800 MUSIC 82 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,640 An unassuming-looking man, later described as in his mid-40s 83 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,560 and about 5'10'' tall. 84 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,000 He takes his seat in 18E. 85 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,680 MUSIC 86 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,000 Upon takeoff, he informs the flight attendant 87 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,440 that his briefcase contains a bomb. 88 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:01,440 Once back on the ground in Seattle, 89 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,600 Cooper agrees to release the passengers 90 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,480 in exchange for $200,000 for parachutes 91 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,160 and a promise of safe passage to Mexico. 92 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,080 MUSIC 93 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,400 Back in the air, the pilots inform Cooper 94 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,040 they'll need to stop in Reno to refuel. 95 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,320 But before they can get there, a light goes off in the cockpit 96 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:22,600 indicating that a door has been opened. 97 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:27,520 You see, DB Cooper chose the Boeing 727 for a reason. 98 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,880 It's unique aft staircase. 99 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,360 MUSIC 100 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,840 Jumping from the side door of a commercial jet 101 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:36,480 could kill a skydiver, 102 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,800 but Cooper simply had to walk out the back. 103 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,160 Outside, a storm is raging, 104 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,680 and somewhere in the darkness above the Pacific Northwest, 105 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,240 Cooper jumps. 106 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,240 MUSIC 107 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,240 And that's where the mystery deepens, 108 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,600 because by the time the plane lands in Reno, 109 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,440 both the hijacker and the money have vanished. 110 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:58,760 Who are you? 111 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,320 MUSIC 112 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:03,680 Over the years, there have been countless suspects 113 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:05,800 fitted for Cooper's shades. 114 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,360 Marvel fans even saw Tom Hiddleston's Loki 115 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:10,520 take credit for the crime. 116 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:14,440 Today, though, I'm trying to answer the $200,000 question, 117 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:20,080 who is DB Cooper by enlisting the A-Team of Cooper researchers? 118 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,480 Mark Meltzer, criminal defense attorney 119 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,680 with over 50 years of skydiving experience, 120 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,600 a top authority on Cooper's jump. 121 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,240 Joe Kenig, lead investigator in the Jimmy Hoffa case, 122 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,840 26-year veteran of the Michigan State Police. 123 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:38,200 And Bruce Smith, veteran sleuth 124 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,840 and author of DB Cooper and the FBI. 125 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:44,400 Oh, and me. I'm here too. 126 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,080 All right, guys, I got a lot of questions. 127 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:48,840 We got answers. I hope so. 128 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:49,920 Let's start with this. 129 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:53,760 Most books that I've read about DB Cooper have a suspect. 130 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:55,160 Mark, I know you're an attorney. 131 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:56,560 Does it seem strange to you 132 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,160 how many potential suspects there are in this case? 133 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:00,240 It's very unusual. 134 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:04,040 The FBI has said there have been hundreds of confessions. 135 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,280 Right. You don't normally have hundreds of guys confessing to the crime. 136 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:07,920 Correct. 137 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:12,880 Got to remember, the DB Cooper skyjacking was innovative. 138 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:14,160 No one else had ever done it. 139 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,480 In fact, skydivers the next day were saying, 140 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:18,240 why didn't I think of that? 141 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,240 Right. Exactly. 142 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:23,560 So, OK, let's start where the FBI started. 143 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,760 The primary witness to the skyjacking 144 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,320 is the flight attendant who sat next to DB Cooper. 145 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:31,920 Tina. That's Tina Muklau. 146 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:32,600 Right. 147 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,600 And she and the FBI start to come up with a sketch. 148 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,920 And this was the first sketch. 149 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:39,720 OK. 150 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:41,800 However, over the next year, 151 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,480 a lot of other people came forward like passengers. 152 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:49,480 And so they came up with a different composite sketch. 153 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:52,560 Are they accurate? 154 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:57,160 Is eyewitness testimony for composite sketches really valuable? 155 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,720 I never found it to be all that valuable. 156 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:07,480 So much depends on the eyewitness's ability to recall an image. 157 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:08,280 Right. 158 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:10,160 So let's wipe this slate here. 159 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,480 Let's talk about actual suspects. 160 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,600 Who are some of the people that really rose to the top 161 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:17,640 and were the greatest hits in this case? 162 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,560 Well, the very first guy was Ted Mayfield. 163 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:22,960 And people were already calling the FBI 164 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:24,400 while the plane was still in the air. 165 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,040 And Cooper hadn't even jumped yet, saying, 166 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:27,400 your guy is Ted Mayfield. 167 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:28,520 Why? Why were people so in the air? 168 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:32,400 Because he ran a corrupt operation as a skydiver. 169 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,080 And people ended up dying there. 170 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:35,520 Wow. 171 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:37,840 From a bad training, bad equipment. 172 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:39,240 He even stole an airplane. 173 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,760 So did Ted Mayfield hold up as a suspect? 174 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:42,440 No, he didn't. 175 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,960 He was immediately ruled out, and I think correctly so, 176 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:46,280 because he was far too short. 177 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,760 He did not meet the height requirements of Cooper. 178 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:49,760 He was way below it. 179 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:51,640 OK, so we get rid of Ted Mayfield. 180 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:52,760 Who else? 181 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:54,720 Within a few days of the crime, the FBI 182 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:58,280 received a tip that they should investigate Sheridan Peterson. 183 00:07:58,280 --> 00:07:59,560 Sheridan Peterson. 184 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:00,280 OK. 185 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:01,400 Who's he? 186 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,360 Sheridan Peterson was a very experienced skydiver. 187 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:06,040 He was an instructor. 188 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,280 And he worked at Boeing in technical documentation. 189 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,120 OK, so this guy's looking pretty good. 190 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:11,640 He is. 191 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:12,640 What's wrong with him? 192 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,440 His alibi is that he was living in a mud hut in Nepal 193 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:17,920 at the time. 194 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:19,240 That's a pretty big problem. 195 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,000 Yeah, I don't think he's Cooper. 196 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,120 OK. 197 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:23,680 Let me rifle through a few more. 198 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:24,560 John List. 199 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:25,800 Forget about him. 200 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:27,120 It's not even worth discussing. 201 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:27,760 Nah. 202 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:29,000 OK, he's gone. 203 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,160 Dwayne Weber. 204 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:32,560 He has no parachuting experience. 205 00:08:32,560 --> 00:08:33,880 He was arrested 23 times. 206 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:34,720 So he's not. 207 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:35,320 23 times? 208 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:36,320 He's now a master criminal. 209 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:36,840 OK, he's out. 210 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:38,560 This guy is not a master criminal. 211 00:08:38,560 --> 00:08:39,040 That's right. 212 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:39,520 He's done. 213 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:40,840 He's done. 214 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,000 In the end, the FBI maintains that none of these men were 215 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,000 Cooper and that he most likely died 216 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:47,600 in his leap from the plane. 217 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:51,360 The men at this table might respectfully disagree. 218 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,200 Who's a guy who could be Cooper? 219 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,280 As far as capabilities go, Robert Rackstra 220 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:57,280 had every skill needed. 221 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:01,240 A Robert Rackstra was an Army helicopter pilot 222 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:03,720 and was an experienced halo parachutist. 223 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,480 That means high altitude, low opening. 224 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,400 Joe, do you think Rackstra could be Cooper? 225 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:10,280 I don't think so. 226 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:11,320 He was too young. 227 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:12,240 How old was he? 228 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:13,240 29. 229 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:14,920 Oh, I mean, really young. 230 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:16,800 But he had the capability. 231 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,120 Rackstra had every skill needed, but nobody 232 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:21,080 can put him on the plane. 233 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,800 And in fact, the flight attendant Tina Muclo 234 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,160 said no when she was shown his picture. 235 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:30,200 So you can't equate capability with culpability. 236 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:30,760 Right. 237 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:31,560 And what about you, Joe? 238 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:33,960 Who do you think DB Cooper is? 239 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,640 I know who DB Cooper is. 240 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:39,040 This young man. 241 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:40,040 Walter Reca. 242 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:40,960 Correct. 243 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:42,400 This is DB Cooper. 244 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:43,880 He's the one. 245 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,000 OK. 246 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,200 Tell me, who is Walter Reca? 247 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:51,560 Walter Reca was a paratrooper. 248 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:55,400 He was in the Air Force Reserves C&R Rescue Squad. 249 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,520 And I go to my parachute expert here. 250 00:09:57,520 --> 00:09:58,960 This guy knew how to jump. 251 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,440 He was a US Air Force Reserve parorescue jumper. 252 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:02,560 They're called PJs. 253 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:04,200 He absolutely had the skills. 254 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:04,920 They know everything. 255 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:07,800 They know night jumps, water jumps, combat rescue. 256 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:09,400 I've been jumping for 53 years. 257 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:13,080 I don't have a hundredth of the skills that Reca had. 258 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:13,800 OK. 259 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:15,520 So he knew how to jump. 260 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,840 And he's DB Cooper because of his confession, which 261 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:21,760 was very detailed. 262 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:24,360 After he jumped from the 727, Reca 263 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:28,280 is said to have landed in the town of Cleolum, Washington. 264 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:29,840 But don't take my word for it. 265 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,560 Here's an excerpt of Walter Reca's confession, 266 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:34,480 recorded by a close friend of his, 267 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:38,760 shortly before his death in 2014. 268 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:39,920 I hit three first. 269 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:43,320 No any f---- dead tree to force, then I happened to get to it. 270 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:45,800 I mean, my leg broke. 271 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,360 Because I could feel it swelling up. 272 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,440 Just gathered it all up right there, 273 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:52,520 left it there with the broken trees 274 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:54,760 through a few branches on top of it. 275 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,280 And I could see in the distance right there, traffic. 276 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:00,720 I'll put the money in the raincoat. 277 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:02,600 Like a bundle. 278 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:06,080 Does anybody see this guy walking in the rain along this road? 279 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:07,880 Yes. 280 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:09,600 Really? 281 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,720 One witness, a local truck driver, 282 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:14,080 reports passing Reca on the road on his way 283 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:15,640 to a nearby diner. 284 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:19,000 The man is walking in the rain in a suit. 285 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,360 Shortly after, he limps into the diner 286 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:23,800 and asks for change to use the phone. 287 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,600 Here's Walter Reca again. 288 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,440 I give it to the guy with the dump trucks, the telephone. 289 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:32,400 I remember him going to a cowboy, 290 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,760 and he giving the directions. 291 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:36,840 Because I don't know where it was. 292 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,160 It was a done and I moved through it. 293 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,680 I've evaluated those tapes to determine truthfulness. 294 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:44,240 That's your area of expertise. 295 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:45,160 Exactly. 296 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:46,880 He was being truthful. 297 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:47,840 You're convinced? 298 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:48,640 I am. 299 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:50,320 I don't want to start a fight here. 300 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:51,120 What do you think? 301 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:52,280 Could it be Reca? 302 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,200 The place where he landed is over 100 miles 303 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:57,360 from where this aircraft was flying. 304 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:00,760 It is also true that there is no actual record 305 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:02,440 of where that plane flew, right? 306 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:03,280 There was a record. 307 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:04,080 They didn't preserve it. 308 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:05,120 They didn't preserve it. 309 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:06,760 This raises another question. 310 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:08,600 If you're going to make up a story about being 311 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,520 DB Cooper, why place yourself 100 miles from there? 312 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:15,880 If there's something very puzzling about the Reca case, 313 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:17,200 I can't figure it out. 314 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:18,640 I agree with Joe. 315 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:22,400 Walter Reca landed in Clay Island, Washington 316 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:23,920 the night in question. 317 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,840 And was soaking to the skin by the rain. 318 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:27,720 You buy that? 319 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:28,600 I buy that. 320 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:29,720 Absolutely. 321 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,920 So there's two guys jumping out of airplanes, 322 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:37,320 wearing business suits the night before Thanksgiving in 1971. 323 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:38,240 That's impossible. 324 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,000 I'd rather have you say it never happened. 325 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,600 There was no guy walking down the road. 326 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,920 But you're telling me that there was a guy in a business 327 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:47,840 suit on that night walking down the road. 328 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:49,440 Then how could he not be DB Cooper? 329 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:55,240 I think the Walter Reca story opens up a huge story. 330 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,680 And the story is, what the hell was Walter Reca doing 331 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:00,800 in Clay Elm that night? 332 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:05,440 This is a relatively new suspect, landed in an unsearched area. 333 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,200 And hopefully, with your help, we'll 334 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,800 find some evidence to seal this case. 335 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:15,360 If you think that sounds like a challenge, well, it does to me 336 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,280 too. 337 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:19,440 Looks like Joe and I are going to Clay Elm. 338 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:27,440 Joe travels ahead to assemble his team of Cooper fanatics, 339 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,200 leaving me to drive the 85 miles solo. 340 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:37,080 I arrive where the Tinoa Junction Cafe once stood 341 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:38,560 and rejoin Joe Kenig. 342 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:43,120 How are you, man? 343 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:43,920 Good, Josh. 344 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:44,520 How are you? 345 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:44,720 Good. 346 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:45,360 Good to see you. 347 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:45,860 Good. 348 00:13:45,860 --> 00:13:46,360 Good. 349 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:47,160 What do you think of my car? 350 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:48,960 I love it, a mini Cooper. 351 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:50,080 Exactly. 352 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,800 I'll go a long way for a bad joke. 353 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:53,440 This for me? 354 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:53,800 Yeah. 355 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:54,520 Thank you, sir. 356 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:56,280 And you've got an army of people out here. 357 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:56,780 We do. 358 00:13:56,780 --> 00:14:00,000 We've got a bunch of volunteers from the Clay Elm area 359 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,160 and a professional metal detectorist. 360 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:04,600 So we are in the spot. 361 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,280 This is the spot. 362 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:08,120 Should we go find DB Cooper's parachute? 363 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:09,000 Let's do it. 364 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:10,560 Let's go. 365 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:13,120 Joe believes that Cooper must have landed near where 366 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,520 the treeline is today, an area that 367 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,360 was deep in the woods in 1971. 368 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,560 The years may have changed the landscape, 369 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,720 but the buckles, fasteners, and other metallic pieces 370 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,800 of Cooper's parachute can't hide from a metal detector. 371 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:31,440 Our team is fanned out across the field and into the trees. 372 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,440 This is the largest search ever made here for evidence 373 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:36,480 in the Cooper case. 374 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:38,920 And it may be about to pay off. 375 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:39,520 Got something? 376 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,520 What do we got over here? 377 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,520 What's in this vicinity? 378 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:47,520 Let's get a little deeper here. 379 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:55,520 Oh, we got metal here. 380 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,520 Let's get a little deeper here. 381 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:06,520 Oh, we got metal here. 382 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:08,520 I've joined in to the search. 383 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:12,520 I've joined investigator Joe Kenig in Cleelam, Washington 384 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:16,520 to explore his theory that a man named Walter Reca was also 385 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:21,520 Skyjacker DB Cooper and that he landed in these very woods. 386 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,520 See rust down here. 387 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:24,520 Here we go. 388 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:25,520 Look, see how it's curved? 389 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:26,520 Yeah. 390 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:27,520 Big chunk of metal. 391 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:28,520 What do you got? 392 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:33,520 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 393 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:34,520 Look at that. 394 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:35,520 Is it a drum lid? 395 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:36,520 Yeah. 396 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:39,520 OK, somebody at some point buried a bunch of drums back here. 397 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,520 Probably not DB Cooper. 398 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:42,520 Probably not. 399 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:44,520 OK, moving on. 400 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,520 The team continues metal detecting while the properties owner 401 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,520 Wayne Willett brings us back into the forest 402 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:56,520 in search of any sign of our suspect. 403 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:02,520 Is this the underside of a tree? 404 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:03,520 These are all roots. 405 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,520 Now, in terms of this tree from the Cooper story, 406 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,520 Reca, when he parachuted in here, 407 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,520 he said that he hit a dead tree, right? 408 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:12,520 Yeah, he said the only dead tree in the woods. 409 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:14,520 So this is obviously a big dead tree, although I wouldn't say 410 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:16,520 it's been dead for that long. 411 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:18,520 How long have you been on this property? 412 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,520 We moved out here in about 72. 413 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:21,520 So a year after the Cooper jump? 414 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:22,520 Yes. 415 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:24,520 So was there a big old dead tree here at that time? 416 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:25,520 There was. 417 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,520 It was right in here somewhere. 418 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:29,520 OK, well, maybe we come across it. 419 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:30,520 Yeah. 420 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:31,520 Let's keep looking. 421 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:34,520 Nobody said it was going to be easy. 422 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,520 As far as landmarks go, the remains of a 50-year-old 423 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,520 dead tree in the forest don't exactly stick out, 424 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,520 and these woods aren't exactly a walk in the park. 425 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:53,520 Good, good, good. 426 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:55,520 Careful, careful, careful, careful, careful. 427 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:56,520 Oh! 428 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:58,520 There I go. 429 00:16:58,520 --> 00:16:59,520 OK. 430 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:03,520 Come here. 431 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,520 I rushed to his aid, but as a retired cop, 432 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:08,520 I hit my head on that thing. 433 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:12,520 Joe is one tough mother, and he bounces back quickly. 434 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:13,520 Ha ha! 435 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:14,520 You all right? 436 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:16,520 Yeah, yeah. 437 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:18,520 You didn't feel a parachute down there, did you? 438 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:19,520 I didn't. 439 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:20,520 Come on. 440 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:22,520 Let's get you dried off. 441 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,520 After changing into dry clothes, he brings me to meet 442 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,520 one of the volunteers who's helping us today, 443 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:34,520 a man who's driven by this area once before, 444 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:38,520 on November 24, 1971. 445 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,520 That's right, Jeff O'Shatitz is the key eye witness 446 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:43,520 from Walter Reca's story. 447 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:44,520 Hey, nice to meet you. 448 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:45,520 Nice to meet you, too. 449 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:46,520 How are you? 450 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:47,520 Good. 451 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:49,520 Wow, you're the guy who saw Reca that night out on the road. 452 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:50,520 Right. 453 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:52,520 I can picture it just like it happened yesterday. 454 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:54,520 So I want to hear this from your lips. 455 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,520 You're driving this truck, and what do you see out the window? 456 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,520 I see a man standing on the side of the road with a black suit, 457 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:02,520 white shirt, soaking wet. 458 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:03,520 And he's not wearing his raincoat? 459 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,520 No, it's rolled up under his arm. 460 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:06,520 Crazy. 461 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:08,520 I thought this guy's French for a short of a happy meal. 462 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:10,520 Ha ha ha! 463 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,520 So you drive past him, you go to the diner. 464 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:14,520 He comes walking in. 465 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:16,520 He says to me, kid, where am I? 466 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,520 And I said, you're about four miles east of Clialum. 467 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,520 And he says, if I make a phone call, can you tell his friend 468 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:25,520 of mine how to get here to pick me up? 469 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,520 Hands me the phone, I talk to the guy, I say, where are you coming from? 470 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:32,520 You might have inadvertently helped Cooper get out of town that night. 471 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:34,520 You're lucky Joe doesn't arrest you. 472 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:36,520 I'm still looking for the FBRC, I assure you. 473 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:38,520 This is it, sir. This is a stink. 474 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:40,520 Ha ha ha ha! 475 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:41,520 What's so amazing about you? 476 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:45,520 You're a corroborating witness, and that's something that almost no other 477 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,520 Cooper suspect has. 478 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:51,520 But he's not the only witness on which Joe's case relies. 479 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,520 He then takes me to meet Wrecka's niece, Lisa Story, 480 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:58,520 who was with Wrecka shortly before his death in 2014. 481 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:00,520 Did he ever confess to you? 482 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:01,520 Yes. 483 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:02,520 He did? 484 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:06,520 In 2013, he asked me to go grab this envelope and pull out this letter, 485 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,520 and he wanted to sign it and have it notarized. 486 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,520 The last testament of Walter R. Packa, Jr., 487 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:14,520 because that was his birth name. 488 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:15,520 Right. 489 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:20,520 Names here after Walter R. Wrecka and D.B. Cooper. 490 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:23,520 Wow. This is a full confession. 491 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:24,520 Yes. 492 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:29,520 The deathbed confession letter left Lisa convinced that her uncle was Cooper. 493 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,520 But that's not the only disturbing thing she learned about Walter. 494 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:38,520 In the years after the skyjacking, he has one, two, three, four, five different passports. 495 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:41,520 He has a British passport. 496 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:42,520 Yes. 497 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:46,520 With his photo under the name Frank Drinkel. 498 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:48,520 Yep. 499 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:50,520 Look at this. He's in Saudi. 500 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,520 He's in Indonesia. He's in Saudi again. 501 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:56,520 He's got foreign service IDs. 502 00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:58,520 And what's this? 503 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,520 This is a KGB? 504 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:03,520 Yeah. 505 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:05,520 This is a Soviet KGB ID. 506 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:06,520 Yes. 507 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:07,520 He spoke Russian. 508 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:08,520 Polish and Russian. 509 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:09,520 And he spoke Russian. 510 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:10,520 He did. 511 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,520 What is he doing with a Soviet ID? 512 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:15,520 I think that was cover in case he was caught. 513 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:22,520 I think he was working freelance for the CIA as a mercenary and undercover behind the iron curtain. 514 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:24,520 Like, forget the skyjacking. 515 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:26,520 This guy is a true man of mystery. 516 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:27,520 Yes. 517 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:29,520 Wow. 518 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:34,520 Anywhere in here does he write down where he's stashed his parachute and the rest of that money or... 519 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:35,520 No, I wish. 520 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:37,520 Is that in here that you found yet? 521 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:39,520 I wish I had asked him. 522 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:45,520 As the sun lowers in the sky, we return to the search. 523 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:50,520 Something right here. 524 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:57,520 Got a coin. 525 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:01,520 19... how about this? 526 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:03,520 1969. 527 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:06,520 Most of the $20 bills that Cooper had were from 69. 528 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,520 So we're in the right time period here for Cooper. 529 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,520 Yeah, could have dropped out of his pocket on the way down. 530 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:12,520 Look at that, right? 531 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:14,520 Hopefully this is a lucky penny. 532 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:22,520 And soon, one of Joe's most experienced team members, expert metal detectorist Chris Holden, proves why he's a pro. 533 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:29,520 Hey, Josh, I think I got something here. 534 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:30,520 What do you got? 535 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:33,520 It's like a little copper band with a serial number on it. 536 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:35,520 I think it could be a serial number off the parachute. 537 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:36,520 Look at that, it's stamped. 538 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:38,520 158. 539 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:40,520 Lots of things in aviation are stamped. 540 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,520 It's light, a tag of some kind, right? 541 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,520 This is meant to slot into here. 542 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:45,520 What do you think? 543 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:51,520 I think we should bag it and target with some resources to see if it's related to a parachute. 544 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:54,520 Yeah, photograph it, see if we can figure out what that is. 545 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:55,520 Okay. 546 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:56,520 Okay, we're on the case. 547 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:04,520 We don't have much light, but the detectors sniff out one more target for us to examine. 548 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:09,520 I have a good hit here. 549 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:10,520 Let me see. 550 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:13,520 That's it. 551 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:14,520 What is that? 552 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:17,520 It's a bullet. 553 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:18,520 I can tell by its weight. 554 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:20,520 That's not just a bullet. 555 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,520 That is a really old bullet. 556 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:23,520 Oh my God. 557 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:24,520 Look at that. 558 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:25,520 That's un-fired. 559 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:26,520 Look at the end. 560 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:27,520 That is un-fired. 561 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:29,520 You can see the indentations there, yeah? 562 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:31,520 That's late 1800s, early 1900s. 563 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:32,520 Yeah. 564 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:33,520 Definitely over 100 years old. 565 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:35,520 This is like a black powder bullet, right? 566 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,520 Like you're putting in your gunpowder, your paper. 567 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:38,520 This is old school. 568 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:43,520 And the fact that it's un-fired is even rarer because you usually find them and they struck something. 569 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:45,520 Probably a military issue. 570 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,520 There were soldiers in this area in the late 1800s. 571 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:50,520 This place is a time machine. 572 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,520 We've way overshot our time period. 573 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:55,520 This is a really cool find. 574 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:03,520 All right, well, judging by the failing light here, I don't think anybody could say we didn't put in a long day. 575 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:04,520 Yeah, I'm tired. 576 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:08,520 Okay, look, I am so impressed by your passion for this case. 577 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:10,520 And I know you're all in on RECA. 578 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:14,520 But to convince the world, you're going to have to go find that parachute. 579 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:17,520 Yes, and we're going to continue looking for it. 580 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:18,520 Good. Keep me posted? 581 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:19,520 I will. 582 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:20,520 Should we go find a beer? 583 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:21,520 Yeah. 584 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:22,520 Let's do it. 585 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:23,520 Sounds good. 586 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:24,520 We've earned it. 587 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:25,520 Come on, let's go boys. 588 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:36,520 The next morning I leave Cleelum with something nagging at me about Joe's suspect. 589 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:41,520 All right, Joe is all in on Walt RECA and in some ways why wouldn't he be? 590 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,520 You know, it's hard to imagine a more compelling story than the one we just heard. 591 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:47,520 But something is bothering me. 592 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:51,520 We're pretty far from Cooper's accepted jump zone. 593 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:58,520 The FBI established Cooper's likely flight path as being a highway in the sky known as Victor 23. 594 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:05,520 Cleelum is way outside of that, a fact that casts some real doubt on RECA as a likely suspect. 595 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:10,520 But the Cooperverse is full of doubts, including some that I am just beginning to have now. 596 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:16,520 When you think about all these DB Cooper suspects, not just Walt RECA, but all of them, they all have something in common. 597 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,520 They're all guys that got away with the crime. 598 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,520 But what if the FBI was right? 599 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,520 What if the most obvious answer here is the right one? 600 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:30,520 What if Cooper died during the jump? 601 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:35,520 To try and determine the likelihood of Cooper's survival, I drive out of the mountains. 602 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:41,520 While on a runway near flight path V-23, another vehicle begins its own journey. 603 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:45,520 Which brings us to Andy Farrington, age 41. 604 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:48,520 Jumps 26,000 and counting. 605 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,520 Current altitude, about 10,000 feet. 606 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:56,520 Oh, and he's wearing a C9 parachute, the same likely used by DB Cooper. 607 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,520 Andy's task for today is simple. 608 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:03,520 Get to the ground in one piece and tell me if, in his professional opinion, 609 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:09,520 DB Cooper could have survived his final leap into the sky. 610 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:19,520 I'm waiting in Andy's drop zone with his father Jeff, who is himself a professional skydiving instructor. 611 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,520 Okay, Andy, how you looking up there? 612 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:25,520 Looking way better than a November day. 613 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,520 I'm about 30 seconds out. 614 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:33,520 Just to be clear, Andy is about to jump out of a plane wearing an antique. 615 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,520 Let's hope it still does its job. 616 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:40,520 Okay, Andy, you are good to jump. Repeat, you are good to jump. 617 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,520 Okay, Andy, you are good to jump. 618 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:02,520 Here it goes. 619 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:10,520 To test the long-held FBI theory that DB Cooper died making his legendary parachute jump, 620 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:17,520 I've enlisted professional skydiver Andy Farrington to make a similar dive using the exact same equipment as Cooper. 621 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:20,520 So far, so good. 622 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,520 That parachute's not really steerable, right? 623 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,520 Oh, that one's not at all. 624 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:30,520 Andy, we are in the drop zone waiting for you. 625 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:35,520 A gust of wind in almost any direction, and Andy could find himself sailing into the trees, 626 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:40,520 which may tell us what we want to know about Cooper, but probably wouldn't be so fun for Andy. 627 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:55,520 He's down. 628 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,520 Hey! 629 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:04,520 How are you, man? 630 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:05,520 Not bad, not bad. 631 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:07,520 Well, you know how to make an entrance, I'll give you that. 632 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:09,520 Great jump. This is the C9, right? 633 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:10,520 Yep. 634 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:13,520 This is the shoot that we think Cooper probably jumped in. 635 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:16,520 I mean, it looks like it's a fair vintage. 636 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,520 It's definitely way older than I am. 637 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:21,520 When did they start making these things? 638 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:23,520 About 1964. 639 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,520 So why was this shoot so attractive as a military shoot? 640 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:27,520 Reliability. 641 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:28,520 Right. 642 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:30,520 100% got the job done. 643 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:33,520 So reliable, but not very maneuverable. 644 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:34,520 That's correct. 645 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,520 Okay, Jeff, how many jumps have you done in a round shoot? 646 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:39,520 Probably 600. 647 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:46,520 Would you jump out of a plane into a lightning storm for $200,000 then, the equivalent of a million dollars today? 648 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:51,520 Well, certainly my financial position is way different now than it was back then. 649 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:53,520 In 1971, you would have thought about it? 650 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:54,520 Yeah, I would have thought about it. 651 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:55,520 Right, right. 652 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:56,520 All right. 653 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:59,520 Could Cooper have survived the jump wearing this shoot? 654 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:00,520 Yep. 655 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:01,520 He could have. 656 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,520 Because this shoot will open at, up to what speed would you say? 657 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:08,520 275 knots or 315 miles per hour. 658 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:09,520 Got it. 659 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,520 And we know that the 727 at that time was flying kind of low and a little slower. 660 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:14,520 It was doing just under 200. 661 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,520 So technically that could work. 662 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:18,520 Yes. 663 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:22,520 But I think the deck was so stacked against his favor. 664 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:25,520 He jumped out into November. 665 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:26,520 Yep. 666 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:28,520 Cold, rainy, windy. 667 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:32,520 And Cooper was jumping into, most likely, wilderness. 668 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:33,520 Treason rivers. 669 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:34,520 Yep. 670 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,520 Cooper jumped wearing nothing but a parachute and a suit. 671 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:41,520 Freezing to death would be a real possibility. 672 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:47,520 Windshear could have collapsed his shoot in the storm, or he could have landed in the water. 673 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:50,520 So do you think he could have survived the jump? 674 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:51,520 The jump part I do. 675 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:53,520 I wouldn't want to land in a river. 676 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:55,520 I wouldn't want to land in a lake. 677 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:58,520 My first choice would probably be landing in a tree. 678 00:28:58,520 --> 00:28:59,520 Really? 679 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,520 It's reasonably soft. 680 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:03,520 Well, awesome jump. 681 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:04,520 It was a real treat to see that. 682 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:05,520 Right on. 683 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:06,520 Nice work, man. 684 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:07,520 Perfect. 685 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:08,520 Thank you so much. 686 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:09,520 You betcha. 687 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:10,520 Appreciate it. 688 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:11,520 So did Cooper survive? 689 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:16,520 To say that he did seems possible, but I wouldn't say it's overwhelmingly likely. 690 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:21,520 It feels like I and every other DB detective have been chasing a ghost. 691 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:29,520 Fortunately, though, I have friends in smart places, something I remember when I get a call from Tom Kay. 692 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:38,520 On my first trip down the Cooper rabbit hole, Tom and I turned up traces of rare earth elements on the necktie that DB Cooper left on the plane. 693 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:43,520 Incredible new evidence that gave Cooper fanatics their first new clue in years. 694 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:50,520 The infamous hijacker may have worked in the production of cathode ray tubes used in aviation radar screens. 695 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:54,520 Now Tom says he has something new to show me. 696 00:29:54,520 --> 00:30:00,520 I hit the gas and speed toward a state of the art lab in Hillsborough, Oregon. 697 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:02,520 What's on the docket today? 698 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:03,520 What have you got for me? 699 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:04,520 I'm excited. 700 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:11,520 What we've got today in this fantastic facility, TSS microscopy has allowed us to use their flagship electron microscope. 701 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,520 To me, this is like something from Ant-Man. Are we shrinking people today Tom? 702 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:20,520 No, no, but we could see Ant-Man in here no matter how small he was. We could see him with this machine, right? 703 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:21,520 Okay. 704 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:24,520 We saw the type particles before. Today's different. Look what we've got here. 705 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:25,520 Well, these I recognize. 706 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:26,520 Yep, these are. 707 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:35,520 Stubs. These are the little platforms you put inside these microscopes. We used these before and we had little fibers from the tie last time. 708 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:37,520 Go ahead and open it up. 709 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,520 Okay, I see something else on these today, little bits of something. 710 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:45,520 So what's on here now are chunks of Cooper cash. 711 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:57,520 In 1980, nearly a decade after the Cooper hijacking, an eight-year-old boy named Brian Ingram dug up $6,000 of buried cash in a place called Tina Bar, Washington. 712 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,520 The serial numbers matched the Cooper ransom. 713 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:11,520 The FBI theorized that Cooper must have fatally splashed down somewhere in the Columbia River, though exhaustive searches and dredging of the river turned up nothing. 714 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:18,520 To date, the money found in the sand at Tina Bar is the only part of the Cooper ransom ever recovered. 715 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:23,520 Now, we're about to get the closest look at that cash that's ever been taken. 716 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:29,520 After Tom carefully places the sample in the scanner, it's time to show me the money. 717 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:31,520 Alright, so here's our stub. 718 00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:33,520 That's a piece of Cooper's cash. 719 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:35,520 So what'd you find on the money? 720 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:43,520 Last time we talked about the tie particles. This time we're doing the same techniques to go in and look at microscopic particles that are found in water. 721 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:44,520 Okay. 722 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:50,520 And these are called diatoms. These are single algae cells that grow this glass shell around them. 723 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:52,520 Okay, it looks like a fossil almost. 724 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,520 They actually are. That is so cool. 725 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:57,520 So these diatoms are just little algae organisms. 726 00:31:57,520 --> 00:31:58,520 Correct. 727 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:00,520 So you've zoomed in on this bill how much now? 728 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:02,520 8,000 times. 729 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:05,520 So in order for these diatoms to get on the money, the money has to be out in the water. 730 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:12,520 It takes about 10 to 15 minutes for money to get soaked enough that they fan out in the water and that's when they would be exposed to the diatoms. 731 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:22,520 Mr. Cooper has made a contribution to forensic science because we found out that we can use diatoms to determine what season the money got wet. 732 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:23,520 Oh. 733 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:25,520 This has never been done before in forensic science. 734 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,520 That diatom is called esterinella formosa. 735 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:33,520 I was going to say it looked like esterinella formosa. 736 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:37,520 So this particular species only blooms in the spring. 737 00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:38,520 Whoa. 738 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:42,520 It's not in the river in November when Cooper jumped. 739 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:49,520 So could the money have hit the water in November but then next spring these diatoms work their way in? 740 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:51,520 There are diatoms that live in the winter. 741 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:52,520 Yes. 742 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:55,520 And if it went in the water in the winter we'd see those diatoms. 743 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:56,520 We don't see them. 744 00:32:56,520 --> 00:32:58,520 My brain is kind of melting here. 745 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:04,520 This means that the money didn't enter the river when Cooper jumped but it did get wet in the spring. 746 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:05,520 Correct. 747 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,520 And then got buried in that sand. 748 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:10,520 So the FBI's official story is... 749 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:11,520 Wrong. 750 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:13,520 I mean that's huge. 751 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:14,520 That's a bombshell. 752 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:21,520 I'm in Oregon breaking D.B. Cooper news once again with scientist Tom Kay. 753 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:33,520 He's inspected the only cache ever recovered from the Cooper skyjacking and found particles of algae known as diatoms in the fibers that could throw gasoline on this rewarming case. 754 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:35,520 So the FBI's official story is... 755 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:36,520 Wrong. 756 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,520 I mean that's huge. 757 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:39,520 That's a bombshell. 758 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:41,520 Yeah, it's a big deal. 759 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,520 You may say we're going to get it. 760 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:47,520 You may say well what if the sand flooded and got the money wet wouldn't you get diatoms in the sand? 761 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:49,520 We tested that. 762 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:50,520 It can't happen. 763 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:55,520 We buried money in sand, we poured diatom water over it and the diatom did not penetrate. 764 00:33:55,520 --> 00:34:00,520 My brain is racing a little bit to come up with a scenario where that happens. 765 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:02,520 It just bends your brain. 766 00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:10,520 It doesn't mean that Cooper survived the jump necessarily but you can't dump money out of a 727 and dump it at a Tina Bar and have this result. 767 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:11,520 Correct. 768 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:16,520 And when it left the plane to when it got wet is a six month journey somewhere somehow. 769 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:25,520 Like our earlier breakthrough with Cooper's necktie, Tom's new find has the potential to turn a 50 year old investigation on its ear. 770 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:27,520 But it begs a huge question. 771 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:40,520 What circumstances explain the money's brief but single exposure to the water of the Columbia River before becoming trapped in the sand at Tina Bar to be discovered by Brian Ingram in 1980? 772 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:46,520 One Cooper researcher has a theory that he claims fits all the newly available facts. 773 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:51,520 So I return to Tina Bar Washington to connect with Eric Euless. 774 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:53,520 Hey man how are ya? 775 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:54,520 Hey brother how you doing man? 776 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:56,520 I'm doing good Eric nice to meet you man. 777 00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:58,520 Eric isn't a former cop or a reporter. 778 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:05,520 He's come by his Cooper knowledge the old fashioned way through decades of exhaustive research and collaboration. 779 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:07,520 I know you're familiar with Tom K's work. 780 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:11,520 What's the story that fits with these diatoms that have been found or not found on the money? 781 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:17,520 Well what we know is that the money was exposed to the Columbia River but during the spring time only. 782 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:28,520 I believe that D.B. Cooper landed very close to this area probably within a mile and on the night that he landed here actually buried the money on the beach before he worked his way back into town. 783 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:30,520 So the first part of that theory works great. 784 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:35,520 He lands out here he buries the money in a dry location somewhere up on the beach or up in the woods here. 785 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:36,520 That's right. 786 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,520 And we don't have those pesky winter diatoms on the money. 787 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:43,520 But how does the money get wet at some point with these spring diatoms? 788 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:58,520 I've actually researched the Columbia River and there were only two times between 1971 when the skyjacking took place and 1980 when the money was found that there were flooding events where the water actually reached the money burial spot. 789 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:03,520 The spring of 72 was one event and the spring of 74 was another event. 790 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:09,520 So that's why I'm saying that D.B. Cooper realizing that hey the money may get swept out to the Pacific Ocean. 791 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:12,520 Right he's like a place where I hid this stuff is about to be underwater. 792 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:13,520 He's got to come back. 793 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:15,520 It's probably under five or six inches of water. 794 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:17,520 He pulls the bag out of the watery grave. 795 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,520 A few of those packets get left behind exposed to the Columbia River. 796 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:28,520 But after he leaves those that sand fills back in covers those money packets back up and the money is locked into the beach to be found eight years later. 797 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:30,520 Okay so now here's the problem. 798 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:35,520 You would need to know where little Brian Ingram found that money in 1980. 799 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:41,520 That's part of the problem when the FBI dug up the beach in 1980 and left they didn't mark the spot. 800 00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:42,520 Right and it was pre GPS. 801 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:43,520 That's exactly right. 802 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:54,520 Now I actually took it upon myself to start researching to try to determine precisely where the money was buried and I eventually did and I know the precise spot today. 803 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:55,520 Show me. 804 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:56,520 All right absolutely. 805 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:02,520 We walked to the area where Eric has determined the money was originally found. 806 00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:05,520 I'm skeptical until I see who's holding the fort. 807 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:08,520 Josh I've got a special guest. 808 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:09,520 I know who this is. 809 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:11,520 What's up man. 810 00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:12,520 How you doing buddy. 811 00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:17,520 Little Brian Ingram the only man who's ever found DB Cooper's money. 812 00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:19,520 We refer to Brian as Cooper royalty. 813 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:29,520 Brian was just eight years old when he made the only true break in this case finding bundles of Cooper's ransom money on the beach here at Tina Bar. 814 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:32,520 So all told you found just under $6000 of Cooper's money. 815 00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:33,520 Correct. 816 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:35,520 Would you like to see some of it. 817 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:36,520 You have it. 818 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:37,520 I do. 819 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:39,520 Get out of here. 820 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:41,520 That's insane. 821 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:42,520 Cooper's money. 822 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:43,520 Like I have chills. 823 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:50,520 This is the real deal folks remnants of the actual bills that were carried through the air by our mystery skyjacker. 824 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:53,520 This money went out that plane with DB Cooper. 825 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,520 That's incredible. 826 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:56,520 Thank you. 827 00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:57,520 Okay. 828 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:01,520 We have to be relatively close to where you found the money but it's changed so much since then. 829 00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:02,520 That's right. 830 00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:04,520 So how do we know right where the money was found. 831 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:06,520 Here take a look at this. 832 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,520 So this looks like old aerial footage. 833 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:10,520 That's correct. 834 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:14,520 This is footage taken from a news helicopter that was filmed during the FBI search. 835 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:16,520 You can see the agents on the beach. 836 00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:17,520 Right. 837 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:19,520 First thing that pops out here is how much beach there is. 838 00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:21,520 I mean it's all sand. 839 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:22,520 It's completely different. 840 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:27,520 There's an old gravel road that you can see in the footage here that an FBI car is actually sitting on. 841 00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:28,520 That's part of what we walked on. 842 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:29,520 That gravel road is right up there. 843 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:30,520 Right. 844 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:35,520 And utilizing landmarks I was able to identify the precise money find spot. 845 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:40,520 They've got a still image from the footage that you're looking at that shows a little better. 846 00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:42,520 Exactly a money find spot. 847 00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:48,520 Now somebody might say all this is well and good but isn't the FBI all over this place? 848 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:54,520 The FBI did not search from the money find spot back up to the gravel road. 849 00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:55,520 I don't know why. 850 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:57,520 Should we pick up some metal detectors and some shovels? 851 00:38:57,520 --> 00:38:58,520 I think so. 852 00:38:58,520 --> 00:38:59,520 Are you here to help? 853 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:00,520 I'm in. 854 00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:02,520 There's $194,000 still out there. 855 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:04,520 You're a lucky charm, Brian. 856 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:06,520 Give me a shovel. 857 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:12,520 We grab our metal detectors and begin exploring the area from the shore up to the old gravel road. 858 00:39:12,520 --> 00:39:19,520 Our team is now four strong including Brian and Eric's friend expert metal detectorist Jeff Morgan. 859 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:22,520 Something's hitting hard, huh? 860 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:24,520 Yeah, something down there. 861 00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:25,520 What you got? 862 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:27,520 A strong hit right here. 863 00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:31,520 Something here. 864 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:32,520 What is that? 865 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:33,520 It's an odd enough piece. 866 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:35,520 I just can't tell what it is. 867 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:36,520 I mean it could be anything. 868 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:38,520 It could be part of a barbed wire fence. 869 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:39,520 Yeah, interesting. 870 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:40,520 But hey, it's a start. 871 00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:41,520 Yeah. 872 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:42,520 All right, keep looking. 873 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:46,520 The wire is just the beginning as we start to pile up the hits. 874 00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:49,520 Looks like a feeder straw of some kind. 875 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:50,520 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 876 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:51,520 That's WD-40 can. 877 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:54,520 Did Cooper jump with WD-40? 878 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:55,520 Shotgun shell. 879 00:39:55,520 --> 00:39:57,520 Okay, we got a shotgun shell. 880 00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:00,520 We got permission to be on this property, right? 881 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:01,520 Nice nail. 882 00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:03,520 We were in the iron collection business. 883 00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:04,520 Yeah. 884 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:11,520 It would be rich. 885 00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:16,520 Now in terms of the actual money find spot, Brian said it was right around here, yeah? 886 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:17,520 That's correct. 887 00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:19,520 If you see that furthest boulder out right there. 888 00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:20,520 Yes. 889 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:22,520 If you go out from there, that's exactly where the money was found. 890 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:23,520 In the water. 891 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:24,520 That's correct. 892 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:26,520 Nowadays the money find spot's about 15 feet offshore. 893 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:30,520 Well, it feels like one of us should probably get out there and check that out. 894 00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:31,520 Good luck, Josh. 895 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:32,520 Damn. 896 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:40,520 All right, I'll go. 897 00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:42,520 Time to get wet. 898 00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:49,520 I trade in my detector for an aquatic model and wade back into the search. 899 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:54,520 Okay, so around here, two feet to the left of that shark over there. 900 00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:55,520 All right. 901 00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:59,520 There's no sharks in Portland. 902 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:04,520 There's no sharks, right? 903 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:10,520 Using Eric's coordinates, I program my phone's GPS to zero in on the exact spot where Brian 904 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:20,520 found Cooper's cache. 905 00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:21,520 Got a hit? 906 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:34,520 There is literally a hit right here. 907 00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:36,520 It's like an old spike. 908 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:41,520 You know the cool thing about this, Josh, this is exactly what I think D.B. Cooper went through 909 00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:44,520 in June of 1972, retrieving the money. 910 00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:47,520 I mean, D.B. Cooper could have been standing right here. 911 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:48,520 That's right. 912 00:41:48,520 --> 00:42:08,520 Now we're just going to see if he left anything else behind. 913 00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:09,520 Eric! 914 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:10,520 Yes. 915 00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:14,520 Hey, check this out. 916 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:16,520 What is it? 917 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:17,520 Look. 918 00:42:17,520 --> 00:42:22,520 It's like a buckle. 919 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:24,520 A hint or a buckle? 920 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:25,520 Yeah, yeah. 921 00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:30,520 Those are clearly two rivets, and it looks like the kind of piece you would have on a briefcase. 922 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:31,520 I mean, it really does. 923 00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:32,520 I mean, what else would you use it for? 924 00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:33,520 I don't know. 925 00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:34,520 Very cool. 926 00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:38,520 I mean, that's pretty unbelievable. 927 00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:39,520 It's pretty intriguing. 928 00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:40,520 Okay, that's going right there. 929 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:42,520 I'm going back to that same area to keep searching. 930 00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:44,520 Things are heating up. 931 00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:51,520 Just like right in here. 932 00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:54,520 Big hit. 933 00:42:54,520 --> 00:43:00,520 Oh. 934 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:01,520 Eric! 935 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:03,520 Look at this! 936 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:08,520 Come here, come here, come here! 937 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:15,520 Portland's Northwest Escape Experience has a D.B. Cooper-inspired escape room. 938 00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:18,520 Okay, here we go. 939 00:43:18,520 --> 00:43:24,520 In a kind of loose sequel to the skyjacking, I have 60 minutes to find the $200,000 that 940 00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:27,520 have eluded the FBI for 50 years. 941 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:30,520 Oh, and I have to stop this bomb from exploding. 942 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:33,520 Of course, this is an escape room. 943 00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:39,520 I have to navigate a gauntlet of fiendish puzzles that Cooper never had to contend with. 944 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:44,520 There are hidden messages, and secret clues. 945 00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:48,520 Until finally. 946 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:50,520 Northwest Orient Bag. 947 00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:51,520 Full of money. 948 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:52,520 I got the money. 949 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:53,520 I'm rich. 950 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:54,520 One. 951 00:43:54,520 --> 00:43:55,520 System deactivated. 952 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:56,520 Yeah! 953 00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:57,520 You win. 954 00:43:57,520 --> 00:43:58,520 All right, boys. 955 00:43:58,520 --> 00:43:59,520 Here's our on me. 956 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:25,520 I'm in the Columbia River near Tina Bar, Washington, looking for evidence of D.B. Cooper with 957 00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:27,520 investigator Eric Eulis. 958 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:29,520 And we just found something. 959 00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:30,520 Eric! 960 00:44:30,520 --> 00:44:31,520 Look at this! 961 00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:33,520 Come here, come here, come here, come here! 962 00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:36,520 Let's check this out. 963 00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:38,520 That's a clasp. 964 00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:42,520 That's a f***ing clasp. 965 00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:44,520 That is an absolute clasp. 966 00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:45,520 There's no doubt about that. 967 00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:47,520 That looks like it's off a briefcase. 968 00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:49,520 That is definitely from a briefcase. 969 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:51,520 Do we know what his briefcase looked like? 970 00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:52,520 No. 971 00:44:52,520 --> 00:44:53,520 There's no photo of it, right? 972 00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:54,520 No, no photo at all. 973 00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:57,520 We don't know if it was metal or what the case was, but that definitely looks like a 974 00:44:57,520 --> 00:45:00,520 clasp that could have gone to his briefcase. 975 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:02,520 And it is rusted to high hell. 976 00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:03,520 And look where this is. 977 00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:05,520 This was found close to this. 978 00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:07,520 These could be from the same thing, I think. 979 00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:09,520 I mean, how could they not be from the same thing? 980 00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:13,520 You got a clasp and you've got what appears to be some sort of hinge or something like that. 981 00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:17,520 I'm kind of flabbergasted because, I mean, we're at V-spot, V-money spot. 982 00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:18,520 That's right. 983 00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:23,520 That could actually be the very first piece of evidence we found related to D.B. 984 00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:26,520 Cooper since the money in the same spot. 985 00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:27,520 That's insane. 986 00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:28,520 That is very cool. 987 00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:30,520 Unbelievable. 988 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:33,520 Oh, my word. 989 00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:35,520 Ha! 990 00:45:39,520 --> 00:45:41,520 Okay, I need to go back and see if there's anything else in here. 991 00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:42,520 Stand by. 992 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:47,520 Coming up with any more hits out there? 993 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:49,520 It's all quiet now. 994 00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:50,520 Not a... 995 00:45:50,520 --> 00:45:55,520 I scan the water up and down the bank to be sure there's nothing else to find. 996 00:45:55,520 --> 00:46:02,520 And soon, the sun begins to set on Tina Bar and on this chapter of my hunt for D.B. Cooper. 997 00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:06,520 In the days that follow, we conclude that the serial number on the tag found in Cleolom 998 00:46:06,520 --> 00:46:12,520 doesn't match the registry of any known components of a parachute canopy, container, or harness. 999 00:46:12,520 --> 00:46:16,520 The hinge and clasp found at Tina Bar have been carefully examined 1000 00:46:16,520 --> 00:46:22,520 and appear to match those found on many soft briefcases from the 1960s and 70s. 1001 00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:26,520 Unfortunately, they also match any number of other containers 1002 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,520 and are therefore compelling but inconclusive. 1003 00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:34,520 For me, the biggest headline here is the discovery of the diatoms on Cooper's cache. 1004 00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:38,520 New forensic evidence in a case that's supposedly cold 1005 00:46:38,520 --> 00:46:41,520 but feels significantly hotter today. 1006 00:46:45,520 --> 00:46:49,520 Still, D.B. Cooper remains at large, 1007 00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:52,520 anonymous after 50 years. 1008 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:56,520 His idea of the discovery of the diatoms on Cooper's cache 1009 00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:59,520 is anonymous after 50 years. 1010 00:46:59,520 --> 00:47:03,520 His identity, his motivations, his life or death are unknown, 1011 00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:06,520 leaving us to fill in the blanks. 1012 00:47:06,520 --> 00:47:09,520 And perhaps that's why we're so fascinated by him 1013 00:47:09,520 --> 00:47:14,520 because we've been able to make his story into whatever we want it to be. 1014 00:47:14,520 --> 00:47:17,520 To some, a terrorist. 1015 00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:21,520 To others, a kind of Thomas Crown and James Bond rolled into one, 1016 00:47:21,520 --> 00:47:25,520 most recently as the Norse god of mischief, Loki. 1017 00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:27,520 Maybe Cooper was Walter Wrecker, 1018 00:47:27,520 --> 00:47:32,520 whose detailed confession and strange appearance in that diner are hard to ignore. 1019 00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:34,520 Or maybe he was this guy. 1020 00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:36,520 Or this guy. 1021 00:47:36,520 --> 00:47:37,520 Or him. 1022 00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:38,520 Or him. 1023 00:47:38,520 --> 00:47:41,520 Or maybe someone no one's thought of. 1024 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:47,520 And maybe he died alone in a place still undiscovered after half a century. 1025 00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:50,520 It seems like we can't let go of D.B. Cooper. 1026 00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:54,520 He's still out there in our imaginations where anything is possible. 1027 00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:57,520 So he won't be going away anytime soon.