Original subtitles

[snorting]

[gasping and breathing heavily]

[pilot] Metro tower,

this is Northwest Orient flight 305

we have a situation.

[Rodney] Tina, I'm gonna have to have you

sit up here now.

I don't wanna see you get hurt.

I don't wanna see anybody get hurt.

[sharply exhales]

[exhales]

[breathing heavily]

-[tense music playing] -[door opening]

[co-pilot] Captain, the aft door is open.

Oh, my God.

[breathing heavily]

♪

[quiet suspenseful music playing]

[Rodney] My real name is Rodney Lewis Bonnifield.

Born July 26, 1952.

I am D. B. Cooper.

♪ All these sparkling ♪

♪ Golden dollar days ♪

♪ Will wash our normal problems down the drain ♪

♪ I can offer you a better today ♪

♪ I can give to you a court with no judge ♪

♪ Look around you ♪

♪ At everything you don't has ♪

♪ Is all you really, really need love? ♪

♪ I can offer you a better right now ♪

♪ Lift away all of the weight that won't budge ♪

♪ Picture your view ♪

♪ From your house on the moon, baby ♪

♪ Saturn's got rings ♪

♪ And you should be wearing them ♪

♪ Singing all these sparkly golden dollar days ♪

♪ Will wash our normal problems down the drain ♪

♪ Right down the drain ♪

[Rodney] Had a knife on the drain board,

a big Bowie knife,

come around and they get me right in the neck.

And so I just reached up

had a sheathing knife about this big

because it. . it was for hunting, skinning.

I just reached up and popped him one.

So, he dropped the knife

right in the shoulder, right there.

-And so, he dropped the knife. -[Clifford] Help me.

[phone line beeps]

[operator] 911, what is your emergency?

[Clifford groans] It's Clifford Rich.

Lady, goddamn it!

I've been stabbed!

Rodney fuckin' Bonnifield.

[guitar music playing]

[Rodney] No, I believe in God. God and country, I do.

[interviewer] Nothin' wrong with that.

[Rodney] No, nothing wrong with that.

Least I know where I'm going.

A lot of people don't know where they're goin'

Think there's a big force. Well, guess what?

I'd rather know where I'm goin' than not know where I'm goin'

[Carlos] So, I met Rod December of 2016.

Rodney had been arrested on assault one,

uh, essentially a knife fight and, uh, bailed him out.

[Mike] But people come to bail companies

because they're in a time of crisis.

So, we facilitate individuals

who are arrested and held.

We negotiate with their friends and family

and contractually bind them to attend their court hearings

and if they fail to appear, then it's our job to go out

and find them and bring them back.

[man] Sorry, I'm not trying to be an asshole.

-No, no. -Hey, we're not either.

-[man] I'm loaded. -So are we.

[Mike] My name's Mike Rocha.

I'm a bondsman for All City Bail Bonds.

I started doing recovery work

when I turned 21-years-old.

So, a long time, over 35 years.

The difference between us and Dog the Bounty Hunter

is that we are authorized and able to carry firearms.

We typically like to work under the radar.

We will go out normally in the cover of dark,

arrest the people that we need to. .

Full-auto.

and do it in a real quiet manner.

[gunfire]

My brother, Carlos,

is in the bail industry as well.

I got introduced to the business

with my brother 35 years ago doing some recovery.

[gunshots]

I absolutely love it, uh, everyday is interesting.

Interesting characters, interesting scenarios,

stuff that you're, just, not got gonna find

at a regular job for sure.

And I kissed the ground when he came to help me,

that was it, I says, "That guy there,

he's a man to come and get me out of this mess. "

And, so, I was out for two and a half years.

I don't have any problem with anybody else.

He wasn't fully funded on. . on the bond,

so people put up some money, but he had to come back in

time after time after time and make his payments

and he never missed a payment.

Uh, and, again, he could've taken off

and gone up into the hills

and he'd be a hard guy to find.

I says, "I'm not runnin' anywhere,

I'm not guilty of this crime. "

[Carlos] He comes into the office

and first he gives me his paperwork

stating that he had taken a plea deal

on the knife fight scenario.

I returned his collateral, which was,

uh, I think four different vehicles.

[Rodney] He gave me back my titles.

He says you. . you made it,

you did the right thing, you didn't run.

And he goes, "Uh, I got something else to run by you. "

I says, uh, "I'm D. B. Cooper.

"I been wanted for a long time. "

[news anchor] When he got on a plane

in Portland, Oregon last night,

he was just another passenger who gave his name

as D. A. Cooper.

But today, after hijacking a Northwest Airlines jet,

then making a getaway by parachute,

the description on one wire service:

master criminal.

I decided to come on out

and tell the truth about everything.

So the people that have a right to know who I am.

He seemed rather nice,

other than he wanted certain things to be done.

We were honoring his requests and, therefore,

we made no attempt to impede his mission.

[narrator] In the early '70s, a hijacker

calling himself D. B. Cooper

jumped from an airliner in flight

carrying 200,000 bucks in ransom cash

and disappeared in the woods of the Pacific Northwest.

His fate remained unknown, his true identity a mystery.

That is, perhaps, until now.

The people got a right to know who I am and what I am.

And, uh. .

it was the time of the Vietnam War. .

it was a time. . it was a time of strife.

[rock music playing]

Everything was going down, Martin Luther King got killed,

[indistinct] died,

Everything was going downhill.

All right, everyone throw in, don't be cheap.

[man 1] All right, raising two.

You guys, uh, been following those protests

-in D. C. ? -[man 2] Yeah, oh yeah.

Hey, you guys hear about that? Boys in blue?

They couldn't hold it down,

I mean, they had to send in the fucking US Military.

Landing every three minutes,

I mean, can you fucking believe this shit?

[man 3] That's government, man!

-Right? Come on! -[man 2] Are you kidding me?

America is the land of opportunity

and you can bet your sweet ass

that if these guys are taking from the pot,

then so am I!

[man 1] Cheers to that shit, fuckin'-A man.

[young Rodney] To the money, boys!

[Rodney] I don't know, I liked the easy money.

I had money all the time.

The more money I made, the happier I was.

I had some nice hotrods in those days,

I mean, I had cars worth $10,000

and I enjoyed myself.

And cocaine was coming in from Panama.

Goddamn, that shit is good, Rodney!

[young Rodney] You like that?

I get that from Panama.

[Rodney] Had plenty of cocaine if we wanted, but it was. .

it was like, uh, going out, dancing,

having fun with all the women and enjoying yourselves.

I can't wait to be in your arms again, babe.

[woman on phone] Uh, I can't wait either.

[Rodney] I had a way to talk to 'em.

I had a way to communicate with women.

You have to have communication with women

otherwise you ain't gonna get 'em.

No communicate? No woman.

And of course, you know about what's her name

that did the song.

Well, hi, I'm Rita Coolidge and I'm a singer,

I sing country music, and, well,

I just put out a record Anytime, Anywhere.

And sometimes I act on. . on screen as well.

[Rodney] Met her in Lake Tahoe, she was singin' at a bar

and then we had an affair for a couple days.

Well, Rodney had this lone wolf

kinda mystery about him.

Like he had a secret or somethin'

You know, I was thinkin' .

"You should come to Denver with me. "

[interviewer] So, you said she wrote a song for you?

[Rodney] Yeah, Run. . "Run, D. B. , Run"

[interviewer] Can you sing a little bit of it?

[Rodney] Uh, well, I was in the, uh,

Hard Rock Café in Lake Tahoe when the. .

the song came out and it says,

♪ Run D. B. run keep on running D. B. ♪

[Carlos] I mean, he's not a flight risk

obviously.

I mean, he's. . he's not going anywhere.

Other than the fact that he. . I mean, he reoffended, uh. .

[Mike] Doing what we do,

you're exposed to a lot of different people.

And a lot of people lie to you.

So, one of the things that we pride ourself on

is being able to cipher through people who lie

versus people who don't.

And when Carlos told me this story, he was. . he was. .

I could feel the excitement within him

and by the time dinner was halfway through,

my mouth was wide open and I couldn't,

you know, believe the detailed events

that were being described.

He's got lots of crazy stories, um,

but as I tried to vet them out,

they. . they all seem like they're. . they're legit.

Him and Don have, uh, some, uh, mining claims. .

up in the mountains

and, uh, I've been able to validate that.

We're gold miners too, you know.

-[laughs] -[cameraman] Oh, really?

Oh, yeah, we own a gold mine in the mountains there.

Bazooka Gold Mining Company, LLC.

[Carlos] Uh, I did my research, he owned the claims,

he brought in the ore, he brought in the, uh,

the geological assessment.

Here's our gold strike, here's the vein.

This is how massive it is.

This is my great grandfather, Sam Bonnifield.

This is Remington that made the rifles.

And there's 2,600 pounds of gold

and this is going to Seattle.

And they surveyed all of Alaska and I've got the map.

I have a Bonnifield Region up there.

260 miles of that country is ours.

[Carlos] They've been rich, they've been broke,

they've been rich again, they've been broke,

they've had lots of adventures.

I mean I've been to the. . I've been to the farm.

[Mike] He, for the last 35ish years

has lived on a dairy farm.

Incognito, uh, with a friend of his.

[Rodney] We're, uh, in Washington State

near the Skagit River.

The place is, uh, peace and harmony,

good-willed men, a good place to live.

We always come ready to go here.

[barking]

[Rodney] Because you don't get a second chance out here.

380.

Just like that. Live with Don Lee at the farm.

Hell of a guy.

[Don] My great grandfather actually homesteaded this farm.

Started milking cows as a sophomore in high school.

We got this farm kinda rockin' and rollin' for a while

and then all these people that are poor come here

and mess things up.

There's crazy characters that come and go.

It is absolutely, 100% certain

that he was in a knife fight and stabbed a guy.

I do not, uh, have any problems with anybody

that don't wanna give me a problem.

They give me a problem, I give 'em a problem back.

Knives or guns, it don't matter.

[Clifford] Oh! Oh, fuck!

[groaning]

This Clifford Rich was staying by my place there.

He was hanging around Don Lee's house.

And I asked Cliff if he wanted to help me

paint my house.

So, Rod said "He's a painter, he's a good painter. "

He was an evil sucker, you know?

He was out raping kids and women,

I says, "I don't want nothing to do with you no more. "

I found out about it, I says,

"I don't want nothing to do with you anymore. "

So, I told Don, "Get him out of the house. "

There are several stories about what happened

between Rodney and Clifford, but apparently

Clifford went after Rodney with a machete.

It was one just like this except it's all black.

[Rodney] Well, I took him out anyway.

[Carlos] From the criminal perspective,

you know, it's legit.

He spoke of being a teamster, which, at one time,

he was a teamster, I know that for a fact,

but he said he was very connected

with the mob,

did a lot of strong-arm stuff,

you know, on behalf of the union.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Rodney] I was working the docks

with the teamsters.

And then Jimmy Hoffa got murdered

and then they called me up said we need a favor.

We'll meet you at Magnolia Bluff.

We met out, we need to strike this waterfront, it's 1972.

They picked me. .

to help 'em do it.

And this is, uh, John Fitzsimmons.

-[young Rodney] Fitzsimmons? -How you doin'?

[young Rodney] All right.

All right, every Thursday at 3:00 p. m. ,

a 48-foot sea vessel by the name of Lucy docks here.

You will process all drop offs from Lucy

under the name John Alexander.

Once complete, you will phone me directly.

-Is that clear? -Crystal.

Your assistance will not be forgotten.

I suppose we'll be in touch then.

That is a fact.

[interviewer] So, what do you have to say

to the people that are. .

that. . that might think that you aren't D. B. Cooper.

Well, I could care less, I did the job.

There've been a lot of people over the years

who've claimed to be D. B. Cooper.

Probably the most recognizable would be Mr. Rackshaw,

but he can't fill in the blanks like Rodney.

In fact, none of the people

who've claimed to be D. B. Cooper

can fill in the slots like Rodney can.

There's. . there's, just, too much minutia there

for this to be in his head and not be real.

[Rodney] I came right down the Columbia River

at Tena Bar

and there's a cove in there and I looked at the cove

when I was comin' down, I landed right in the sands.

I left $5,880 on the beach

and I took $300 more out

and that leaves $193,000 left

somewhat, in dollars.

It's on that beach right now.

So, if I find the rock, we're gonna dig it up

and we'll get that money.

And the only reason I thought it had credibility

enough to at least pursue a little bit,

do some research and then bring Mike in

was the fact that he was gonna bring the money to me.

He was gonna set the money on the desk

and then from there he wanted me to do something

with the cash.

My plan is probably to go underground,

sell some of the money, you know?

But, that's business.

Why not? It's my money. I took it.

And, uh, if I get somebody to help me sell it,

then fine, dandy, I get it sold.

[Carlos] So, Rod had an idea

of what the value of the money was

and it was an inflated amount based off the fact

that a kid had been camping down on the river,

actually found some money,

and then selling the money at a much higher value

than what the actual face is.

[interviewer] So, did you bury the $5,800 immediately?

Yes.

The reason why, I always leave a tip.

So that they thought I'd gone in the river.

I put the money there, in all 20s,

I put 'em in a stack.

[interviewer] Why that amount of money?

[Rodney] I don't know, I just reached in the bag

and grabbed whatever I had, and counted it,

it was $5,880 and I went, "Okay, that's. .

somebody will find this, some fisherman

or some hiker or. .

well, they didn't find it for nine more years.

[news anchor] Then the Dwayne Ingrum family

entered the picture last February.

I was gonna build a fire

and I had some wood in my arm

and I got ready to set it down

and my son ran up and said, "Wait a minute, Daddy. "

So, he raked a place out in the sand

and there it was, it kinda tumbled up on the top.

[news anchor] What his young son found

was part of Cooper's loot.

Badly decomposed, in bundles,

still in the same order when packed nine years ago.

[Mike] The Columbia River is a massive river.

And it's an ever-changing riverbank.

This is where large shipping vessels come through

and bring product to and from other countries

and distribute it around the world.

So, they have to continually dredge it

and make sure that it's clear for the shipping lanes.

[man] Dredging is done in a lot of major waterways

and that's to keep the waterway open

for commerce

because it's not that deep

and they have to dig out that waterway year after year.

Rodney described his burying of the $5,800

to be in a very shallow area because he did it very hastily

and scientists in 2020 determined

that there was algae found on the money

that could've only been there during a spring bloom.

So, it's. . it's possible that the money,

having been buried in a shallow area,

later on, after a dredging, was exposed to the water,

thus exposing it to the algae that only blooms in the spring.

[man] That's key,

because it means the ransom money

entered the water months after Cooper jumped.

For instance, Kay says it scuttles

the FBI's original theory in the 1980s

that the ransom money flowed from rivers

in the suspected drop zone near Lake Merwin

down through the Washougal River

to the Columbia.

The so-called "Washougal Wash Down Theory. "

The money was not floating in the water for a year,

otherwise we would've seen diatoms

from the full range of the year.

We only saw them from the spring. .

springtime bloom.

So this puts a very narrow range

on when the money got wet

and was subsequently buried on Tena Bar.

Rodney knew all kinds of specifics

about. . about the hijacking.

[interviewer] What were you wearing that day?

I wore a sports jacket, penny loafers,

black tie, which belonged to my dad.

The one piece of physical evidence

that really yielded something substantial

was the fact that the tie was analyzed at the time

and throughout the years continued to be analyzed

as technology got better

and titanium was one of the major alloys

found on it.

[newsman] The periodical table of clues, say scientists,

suggests Cooper had access to a manufacturing company

that made airplanes, like the one he jumped from.

Perhaps a company with a connection to Boeing.

Rodney did identify the fact that that tie was his father's

and that he did work at Boeing.

Uh, he had the. .

the times down to specifics.

Exact time frame, uh,

that lines up with. . with what, um,

the authorities have.

[Rodney] Left Portland about 4:30,

it was getting kinda dark, it was during the winter.

And then we got up in the air and it was raining.

They seated me in 18E in the back

near the stewardess.

He knew the type of cigarettes that were smoked.

[interviewer] Did they allow you to smoke

-back in the day on airplanes? -[Rodney] Yes, they did.

I smoked about eight Raleigh's, but I just barely smoked them.

I was nervous.

The. . the cocktails that were ordered. .

[Rodney] I ordered me a bourbon and they brought me a double.

[stewardess] Can I get you anything?

[young Rodney] Uh, yes.

I'll take a bourbon on the rocks

and if you could keep those coming

until the plane lands or I jump out of it,

that'd be great.

I'll make it a double, how 'bout that?

[Carlos] And the more I looked into it,

the more I thought, "Well, he's either

the most well-versed D. B. Cooper fanatic

that I've ever met or even heard of,

um, or he's D. B. Cooper. "

It's hard to look somebody in the eye

who is so sincere about their story

and discount it or,

um, call them a liar.

The guy's a character,

and he's just enough of a character

to have jumped out of an airplane, uh,

being suicidal with nothing to lose and. .

and, you know, pulling it off.

I'm inclined to believe that. . that he's the guy.

I wanna believe he's the guy.

[Mike] Reintroducing it to myself, you know,

I. . I start to realize some of the details

that were out there.

And when he added to those details,

it. . it was very convincing.

He's either convinced himself that it's real

or it's real.

So, with that, it's. .

it's worth coming to take a look.

[Carlos] So, after some deliberation,

Mike and I decided that maybe we should go down

and dig up this money.

[Mike] We're going on an exploratory mission here

to see if he is the guy to confirm or not

whether he's the person who hijacked an airplane in,

you know, in 1971, a long time ago.

So, there's a lot of questions

and there's a lot of mystery around it.

If I'm not mistaken, it's the only unsolved

hijacking in the history of the world.

Uh, and. . and that has to have some interest.

There's some sex appeal to that.

I mean, it's almost like treasure hunting.

I think everybody has a little kid inside of them

that loves the idea of going and finding

some buried treasure,

and that's exactly what we're gonna try to do.

I mean, I think he's getting to the. .

to the end of life and he wants people to know.

And he might not have the opportunity

to tell this story 'cause we're within two weeks

of him potentially going to prison, so

the time is growing short.

Uh, 9:30 tomorrow, I'm supposed to have a court date,

I'm not gonna show up.

And on May 9th, my mom's birthday,

my brother's birthday,

and my daughter's birthday is May 9th.

I'm not going to court to get sentenced on May 9.

He's been going to court

and the prosecutor wants to put him away

for something that he should be given

an award for.

And the fact is, he is a life-long criminal.

I mean, he lives and thinks like a criminal.

that's the way he's wired.

Uh, now he's calmed down, he's trying to find peace

in his. . his. . his later years.

And you ask about his bad upbringing,

he didn't have a bad upbringing,

he told you he was born a criminal.

[interviewer] So when you were a kid

you always wanted to be a. . a. .

-a gangster? -Yeah. I was born one.

My mom's given me birth at Chief Seattle Statue

rushed me to the West Seattle Hospital,

and that's where I was born.

[mom] He was a very busy little boy.

He was always into many different things.

He was an asshole.

[interviewer] Can you take us back

to your first experience with criminal activity?

[Rodney] Okay, I go into an ice cream parlor,

I was five and a half years old,

I didn't have the money to pay for the ice cream,

so while she went out to use the restroom,

I got the two ice creams and I took the till

and opened it up and got all the money out the till

and walked right out.

♪

[employee] Hey! What're you doing!

Kid! Hey!

He. .

he thought of lots of ways to, um, make money.

He was a thief.

♪ Come on, gimme a reason ♪

♪ To make me stay ♪

♪ And if you come beggin' ♪

[Rodney] I robbed my first beer truck

when I was 13.

[indistinct] way, and I robbed it.

Took the kegs off it, me and this other kid.

♪

Jackpot!

-He was a little entrepreneur. -A little bastard.

[Rodney] And the 18 and 19 year olds

would buy my beer from me back then

so I had money all the time.

Welcome! Ten bucks a keg, you hounds.

Come on, cough it up.

It's a good day to be in the beer business,

suckers.

[female interviewer] When did you notice a change

in Rodney?

-I. . -Uh. .

I don't wanna talk about. . Can we just. .

I think we need to move on to a different question.

Rodney. Take your pills and go to bed.

-No more magazines! -[door clicks shut]

-That kid. -What's he doin' now?

He won't stop with the magazines.

What kinda mag. . are they Playboys?

I'm missing some Playboys.

[Mom] Oh, I don't know. I never thought of that.

I. . I guess it's better than Playgirl.

[Mom] Oh, gosh, I don't wanna have to worry about that.

You know, uh. .

I got another call from the principal today.

[Mom] No. .

They're thinking about kicking Rod out.

I told you

that he is not taking his medicine

and when he doesn't take his medicine,

he goes bonkers.

I don't like when he takes that medicine. .

I know. .

He doesn't need anything to calm him down.

I don't know what else to do.

[Dad] Military school?

If you can convince him.

[Dad] I don't think we should give him a gun.

[Mike] We've got things

that we may or may not need tomorrow.

Um, we've got guns

just to make sure that we're safe

and that everybody's safe 'cause we have no idea,

really, what we're up against.

This guy claims to be a life-long criminal,

so we have no idea what he's capable of

or who his affiliations are.

So, he could have people out there

waiting for us to bring it back to the hotel,

people that track us to the dig site.

And if this money, um, is there,

uh, I. . I really feel like

we can't let him just walk away.

There's no option there.

I mean, if. . if we don't turn the money in

then we're liaisons. .

-We're criminals. . - . to the crime.

He thinks he has this thing lined up.

[Mike] We're gonna set up camp in Woodland,

that's where the hotels are gonna be

that we're gonna work out of and then the. .

the bar that the money was found

is down southwest of that area.

So, geographically, it's not too far away.

Just outside of town.

We're gonna rally at 5:00 a. m.

and we're gonna drive down the highway

and, um, go after the money.

Just basically. . just go right at it.

Picked the boys up, they're ready to roll.

[Rodney] Let's go down and unbury that money.

[Mike] All right, let's get her done.

[Rodney] All right, all right.

You can ask me any questions you want.

[interviewer] Did you ever conceive of this plan

beforehand or thought, like,"Oh,

you know, I might be able to hijack a plane,

get some ransom money,

-and jump out of it?" -Never.

I call it skyjacking, but never.

[interviewer] How did you even know

how to jump out of a commercial airplane?

It seems like you would have to

know something about aviation.

A friend of mine, Roger Gackle was a flight. .

he organized the flights

coming in and out of the airport.

He invited me in with Rick Gackle,

so I knew the whole layout before I did it.

[interviewer] Okay, so Roger Gackle

was kind of like this guy that taught you

the inner workings of what aviation is.

He just [indistinct]

♪

[man] Let's go Rod!

[bowling pins clatter]

-[man] Yeah! -[men cheering]

That's how it's done, fellas!

-Hey, where's Gackle? -He went back to the airport.

[young Rodney grunts]

Gackle gave me a tour of that 727 last week.

-Have you been on that thing? -Nah.

[sighs] He showed me every switch and lever.

That bird can do some serious action.

This guy's been hot on airplanes ever since

he jumped off the roof when he was seven.

[all laughing]

-Hey! What's up, you goons? -[Marty] Hey, buddy boy.

We goin' to the loop on Friday?

[all] Oh, the loop!

Oh, the loop! Yeah!

South of the Washington-Oregon border.

A little Portland hideout, fun-out.

And when Rodney showed up. .

[guitar riff plays]

that's when the party lifted off.

[young Rodney] Hey, how you doin'?

[Marty] Hey, what's up, Rod?

How you doing, brother?

-Hey, Rod. -Hey, baby.

[Rodney] Oh, the loop is where we used to gang fight,

race cars, and monkey around

with wild women down there, okay?

[Marty] Here's the loop. Fast cars.

Yeah, dude, it looks like you need

a new radiator hose.

[Marty] Lotta women. Lotta drugs.

Goddamn this shit is good.

[Marty] Lotta people

havin' a good time mixing 'em all together.

Gotcha! [laughs]

Do me next, but I like it a little slower!

Fuck you, Larry.

Well, look who decides to show his cock to the party!

Welcome, baby.

Let's have a good time. [laughs]

[Marty] It was everything we were about.

We lived it.

That's one of my favorite memories.

I remember one time Rodney, was waving around a gun.

I think he. . I don't know what drug he was on.

You never really knew.

I probably helped him with it.

He was just waving around a gun,

wanting to fight.

I can't even remember, he was ready

to fight anyone, even me.

-You see Stacy's cousin? -[Rodney] Wayne Shannon,

I fought him twice out in Gutterway.

First time was a draw. Second time I beat him.

Who didn't see Stacy's cousin.

-Fuck! Goddamn. -[all laugh]

Yeah, I seem to remember Stacy's cousin

because I think it was around her 19th birthday.

We had a pretty good time together.

[laughs] Yeah, and I bet she enjoyed all three seconds.

[all laughing]

Excuse me?

You heard me. I mean, girls talk.

And they need someone to lay the pipe.

And we know that's not you. I mean, let's be honest.

[scattered laughter]

You know what? Forget you.

Bring your skinny dick over here and say that to my face.

[man] Whoa, whoa, whoa!

-[ominous music playing] -[all yelling in panic]

-[gun cocking] -Come on, Rodney, come on, man.

Now, if anyone else wants to piss me off

and get on my nerves, let's have a discussion

right now, right here, in my office.

Anybody got a problem with that?

[Wayne] No, man. We're cool, we're cool.

[interviewer] I mean, you have to be

a pretty crazed lunatic

in order to hijack a commercial airline flight.

Well, I was. . I was up for four days.

I had a bag of criss-cross speed

-and I'd pop 'em and get up. -[Interviewer] So like stuff,

-like, Johnny Cash used to do? -[Rodney] Yeah, same stuff.

Not the black beauties, but the. . the,

you know, the white criss-cross speed.

It was all over the place in the old days.

We'd always take the uppers when we went drinkin'

and. . and carousing and stuff so. .

Rodney always had a plan,

no matter what it was.

-[young Rodney whistling] -[Marty vocalizing]

[young Rodney] Knock-knock,

Christmas came early, my friend.

Ooh, is that the shit Cash is using?

[young Rodney laughs] Make no mistake,

these are not black beauties.

No, sir, this is criss-cross.

This stuff, my friend, will sell.

Oh! It's like the first snow in winter.

-What a beaut! -That'll knock the pins down.

Care to ski the slopes, my friend?

[Marty] I'd been a supplier of drugs for a long time

so I could ignite the fun,

but hi. . hi. . his. . his plans were

how can we make money and have some fun too?

[sniffing]

-[both moaning in pleasure] -I will criss-cross this

all across the county.

[Rodney exhales audibly] Tic-tac-toe.

Across the states we go, my friend.

But we gotta be quick about this, pal.

Dude, I have never let you down, Rod.

You've never let me down, buddy.

[both clicking tongue and sniffing]

[interviewer] How're you feeling, sir?

[Mike] I'm feeling great.

Hungry, about to eat.

I'm excited about the fact that he's an old honcho

that just is excited and ready to roll.

Everything he's told us is stuff we haven't heard

in the news, or most of it,

and only one person would know all these details.

So, our optimism is rising.

You gotta mind, uh. . [clears throat]

when I took the jump,

I had a pair of penny loafers on.

So, uh, I lost one of my penny loafers on the way down.

[laughs]

So I ended up buying

a pair of tennis shoes on the way out. [laughs]

I had to walk to the road, go to Woodland

to get the tennis shoes [indistinct]

Piggly Wiggly, just closing up

at ten o'clock at night.

I had to beg and plead with the lady

to get the tennis shoes, but then I had shoes.

And so then I took a. . I went to a payphone to call

a cab and I took the cab back to Portland to get my car.

57 Chevy.

Two door hardtop with that. .

[Will] Like, the stuff that he's talking about

is so detailed.

He's like Jesus, he's either a psychopath,

liar, narcissist, or it's true.

-It's crazy. -[man] What is your. . what. .

what are you thinking right now?

-What do you think? -Honestly, after that?

After that I'm kind of convinced. .

It would just. . he would be going

to such great lengths. .

all for, like, a lie, which, again, is possible,

but I'm starting to. .

I'm starting to be convinced.

[Mike] What are your thoughts now that

you've seen the confidence he has?

[Tyler] I mean, I'm pretty, like,

like Will was saying, he's just, like,

he's either a crazed lunatic

or, you know, or he's telling the complete truth

and this is all real, you know?

I mean, there's only two ways to spin it.

What did you compare him to? Jesus?

[Mike] Right, but. . but don't. .

don't you always come back to the fact

that he actually is going to take us there

and what does he expect to have happened

if we don't find it.

It. . that's what confuses me. What is his end game?

[Rodney] I said I would never go dig it up

until the timing was right.

Well, now the time is right.

I have every FBI agent

in the United States looking for me. .

because they gotta prove their point,

they gotta get that man.

They got the rest of 'em.

Killed Pretty Boy Floyd,

Dillinger, and Baby Face Nell.

They got 'em all.

You don't think they won't get me too?

Well, that's the way it looks to me.

-I am not stupid. -[interviewer] But Why did. .

Why did you resort to a life of crime?

I don't know.

I. . I robbed Safeway stores, I used to get

30-40,000 a whack out of them,

but, you know, I was a young. . I was a gangster.

I was running around with a bunch of tough kids.

[Interviewer] And these were armed robberies?

[Rodney] Yeah, I committed 20 or 30 armed robberies.

And I was with McDonald on about ten of 'em.

[exhaling audibly] Where are we headed?

[sighs] As far as we can, Marty.

As far as we can.

[laughs]

Robbery was involved and I can't say

I wanted to do it most of the time,

but he's a seller of fun and a seller of, uh, crazy.

[Young Rodney] Empty that safe into that bag right now!

-Do it! Every last dime! -[Cashier] That's all of it!

-That's all we got! -[young Rodney] Oh, come on,

you stupid ass hippy, fill that thing up!

We happy, buddy?

[breathing heavily]

I want you to remember this face.

You're gonna be reading about it for a long, long time.

Let's move out, sunshine.

♪ Uh huh ♪

[young Rodney whooping]

♪ We gonna tear this motherfucker up ♪

♪ And burn this motherfucker down ♪

[young Rodney] Yes!

[Marty] Drugs, guns, whatever was involved.

I was ready for the ride.

I hope you like Chinese food,

buddy, 'cause we're gonna get our feast on tonight.

What're you talkin' about? What. . what Chinese food?

♪ A lot of stories ♪

♪ Uh-huh, yeah, uh-huh ♪

Not The Dragon, man, I eat here twice a week!

Marty. .

[laughing] I thought you wanted to be a gangster!

Rod, have you had the kung pao here?

Best in town.

And if we do this,

-I can't eat here anymore! -No,

I haven't had the kung pao here, Marty.

And who the fuck cares?

Ah, Rod, seriously, I eat here all the time!

It's sweet, Yuki will probably recognize me!

Man, I've been trying to ask her out

the last couple weeks, man.

Marty, put the mask on, disguise your voice,

and then next week you can take out

sweet Yuki on a wonderful date

with all the money that you rob from her tonight.

[inhales audibly] If you had had the kung pao,

we wouldn't be doin' this right now, man.

Shut the fuck up, Marty.

[rock music playing]

All right, hands in the air, sweetheart!

Now, I want you to go back to that register,

and take every last dollar, and put it inside this bag.

If you try any funny stuff, things are gonna get

un-fucking-funny,

real fuckin' quick!

And don't skimp on those fortune cookies either.

[Marty] Come on, Yuki.

We're not gonna hurt you, we just need the money.

Marty?

Marty!

♪

[music stops]

I saved the best for last.

No clerks, no bullshit.

Just good old-fashioned American takin' stuff.

And you know how much I love takin' stuff!

[Marty] What if someone comes in there while we're there?

Oh, fuck, Marty!

These rich fucks only come here in the summertime!

The rest of the year, this house is barren,

it's just ready to get picked off!

Don't you think we should just quit

while we're ahead?

I will tell you

when we are ahead, you stupid bitch!

[breathing heavily] These fucks are ahead.

Now. .

picking off two places in one night is child's play!

But you pick off three places. .

That's a spree, buddy.

That's a spree.

Four. . three places?

[Rodney] Here's a. . here's thing on me, right here.

November 24, 1971, a man called himself

Dan Cooper. Yeah, I did.

The name came from Jackie Cooper,

the first. . last name.

And the front name was my cousin, Dan.

[interviewer] Who's Jackie Cooper?

Movie star.

Played in, uh, Frank James in,

uh, one of the Ford brothers in a. . in a movie.

Every single question we asked Rodney

about the crime, he had an answer for.

And he didn't have to stutter or stammer or think about it.

It came out very naturally, like it was the truth.

We just elevated up.

I handed her the note and then she says,

"I can't go out with you. "

I says, "You better read the note. "

[Carlos] She. . she thought you were asking her for a date?

[Rodney] Asking her for a date, yeah.

[chuckles] Not very picky, are you?

-I'm flattered, but married. -[Rodney laughs]

[Carlos] What did the note say?

Uh, it says I have,

uh, a briefcase full of dynamite,

explosives, and if I don't get

what I want, I'll blow the plane up.

[Carlos] And how did she react?

She says, "Oh, my God. "

She just ran right up there as fast as she could.

Not run, but briskly went up there.

[Carlos] Up to the cockpit?

-Yeah. -[Carlos] Yeah.

And then, uh, that's when I had trouble.

Lawrence Finegold.

[Carlos] One of the things

that. . that I found interesting,

uh, as Rodney was filling in the details of the incident

was an interaction with a young attorney

out of Seattle named Finegold.

He started coming back at me and I came right up to

him and said, "You better sit down and shut up.

No funny stuff. He goes, "What is this?"

I says, "Your toupee's not. . not straight on your head.

I acted, like, a little bit crazy but. .

I would sit down and I would straighten out

that fuckin' toupee if I were you.

No funny stuff.

[Mike] Rodney told him to, you know, sit down

and that his hairpiece was slightly ajar,

which it. . it appears

that maybe he was wearing a hairpiece.

So, to me, I thought that was a very,

very specific detail, and later,

it turns out that Finegold acknowledged

his interaction with Rodney.

My 25th anniversary I called him on the phone

from Seattle and said I'm DB Cooper and he goes,

"Okay, if you're DB Cooper, tell me what. .

what I wanna hear. "

and I said, "What do you wanna hear and he goes,

"You know what you told me. "

and so I told him the same thing

and he says, "Oh, my God, you're still alive. "

-[Mike] And they're all 20's! -I got

193,000 something dollars buried on the beach.

[Carlos chuckles] And we're about to go find it.

By a big, black onyx rock.

So the beauty is gonna be us going from this point

right now, from these interviews,

to the site where he was at that time and,

um, hopefully putting a bow on his story.

Right now we need to button up

and get it together and go out and. . and track it down.

All right, let's go dig it up!

[Mike] Are you feeling confident?

I'm confident. Yeah.

Well, the old Chinamen say, "Can you dig it?"

And then you're digging it!

So we're going treasure hunting and just dig it up!

[Mike] How 'bout you? Stressed?

[Wes] This shit is super crazy.

I'm excited and he's got some details that are just. .

I mean, he told. . he told the lawyer

your toupee is crooked. [laughs]

Like, that's a detail and a half if it's real.

No, you don't wanna marry an outlaw,

we have trouble, we have to hide

and everything, you don't need that.

Well, now I'm gonna have to really hide

when I find the money.

[Wes] So if we do find it, do you think

your son would be excited to hear that you found it?

Well, he's my flesh and blood.

Anybody that's related to me wants some of the money.

That's the way it works, I guess.

It's too bad that the mother did that to me and. .

[interviewer] Were there any particular women

in your life at this time?

Romana Lisa Capps.

I met her through, uh, high school.

I think there was just something in me that was scared

of how lawless he was, but that loved it too.

Goddamn it, I love pancakes!

If you love 'em so much,

why'd you give me the last piece?

Because I might kind of like you.

Wow! Everybody hear that?

Romana Lisa Capps likes me.

-She loves me! -Oh my. .

[Romana] Are you surprised that someone

in the Capps family actually likes you?

Yeah, I am. It's a huge accomplishment.

Maybe. No, I definitely am.

But, um, I gotta ask you something.

I heard a rumor, um. .

I heard your dad wrapped the family car around a tree

last week on 21st street, is that true?

Yeah. I mean, I guess everybody knows

he's the town drunk now.

No one thinks your dad's the town drunk.

He made a mistake,

we all make mistakes, you know?

Life goes on. Who cares?

Plus, think of the upside.

At least now, the whole town knows

that at the Capps house,

the liquor cabinet is well-stocked.

-[Romana laughs] -Huh?

Hmm.

Well maybe his liquor cabinet should be our next destination.

Uh-oh. You getting a bad idea?

Well, this one hearkens back to the greats

and it's called the ol' dine and dash.

Oh, you're gonna pull this one off?

-[Romana] Mm-hmm. -The big heist?

Ooh! What the hell was that?

I just treated you to the best pancakes

-of your goddamn life. -[Rodney laughs]

That may be so, but if you keep this shit up,

you're going to end up a criminal, missy.

Oh, has this little escapade

-reminded you of someone? -Yeah, it did. .

♪ You got my attention, baby ♪

Come on, we have a liquor cabinet to raid.

[Rodney] She didn't like who I am or what I am,

but she just pushed it aside

that I'm a little wilder than most people.

Always been wild.

[Romana] Have some of this.

[both laugh]

Hair of the dog, what've we got?

Ooh! Number seven, now we're talkin'

-[Romana laughs] -[young Rodney] Hmm.

Ah!

Thank you, Mr. Capps. [sighs]

You got shit on your mind, don't you?

Yeah.

Your pops?

Yeah. It's just. .

It's just hard to talk about my father or my family.

I understand.

But I feel really free with you.

That's good.

-[Romana laughs] -That's real good.

-I'm a free guy. -[Romana laughs]

Look, forget about your dad.

Forget about what the town is sayin'

They're not sayin' shit. They don't know anything.

No one knows the ins and outs of a person's home

or how they run it.

No one knows your family, I don't know your family.

All right, think about it like this.

This is gonna sound real corny.

-In the car of life. . okay? -Okay.

Every past version of us is in the car,

and what I mean by that is people screw up,

and hopefully they learn from that shit.

The key that no one tells you. .

is that when you're driving in this car of life

down the highway of life. .

all those past versions of yourself. .

they're in the car with you.

And the key, the secret. .

is to not let any of 'em drive.

Does that mean I'm with a safe driver?

[young Rodney exhales audibly]

You're with a safe driver, I can assure you that.

[Rodney] And we were goin' out and we loved each other.

Her dad told me to marry her,

or I'd get shotgunned to death

and we had a baby on the way

so I took his advice and married her.

Anyway, I loved her.

♪ You were made for love ♪

♪ And we fell into ♪

♪ Back when the stars began to shine ♪

You have any idea where we are?

No. Rod, you know I don't like surprises!

[young Rodney] It's a good surprise,

no bad surprise, okay?

-You ready? -[Romana] Okay, yes, I'm ready.

-Are you ready? -Yes, yes, yes.

Okay. Three, two, One.

Oh, my God, Rod! [gasping]

[young Rodney] I know, it's a gourmet meal!

[Romana laughs] This is beautiful!

Well, the old man did have one thing right.

Will you marry me?

Oh, my God, I can't wait to be

-Mrs. Rodney Bonnifield! -Yes?

-[Romana] Yes! -Yes?

[Romana] Yes!

[music fades]

Oh, man, when Rodney and Romana got together,

it was a great thing.

It was a great thing for Rodney.

I never seen him that happy.

Marty McFerguson up to the t-box.

Averaging 350 yards per drive.

[young Rodney] You're a little pink

around the edges, aren't you, Marty?

[Marty] Keeps me goin'

You take your vitamins today, Marty?

-[Marty] Everyday. -Good. [laughs]

Doesn't get much better than this, buddy.

-[young Rodney sighs] -Look at this!

[young Rodney] Normally, on any given day,

Marty, I'd agree with you.

But today is not a normal day, my friend.

I got some good news.

-[Marty] What? -You're gonna be an uncle.

I. . I'm gonna get adopted?

No, Marty.

I'm gonna be a father!

With Romana?

No, with your mother. . yes, with Romana!

-Romana Lisa Capps! -Rod, man! Look at you!

-We're having a family! -[Marty] Oh!

-Man! -[young Rodney laughs]

The new man Rodney Bonnifield family man.

-Yes! -[sighs] I'll take that.

-A new man. -[young Rodney laughs]

[Marty] So what's next for the family man?

[young Rodney] Well, I gotta clean up my act.

I can't be doin' what I've been doing up here

and Washington's pretty much tapped out.

So, I'm gonna be working

down in California for a little bit.

♪

[Rodney] The Boins was lettin' everybody go.

No jobs here, so we went down there,

worked at Carol's Cabinets.

♪ And it's hard to call it home ♪

♪ When it's raining all day long ♪

♪ And you know it's all been done ♪

♪ And you can't get you no sun ♪

♪ No, no, see, I got bigger plans ♪

♪ Something to hold in my hands. . ♪

You here for castle tickets?

If you're selling magic I'm buying.

♪ Going where the sun shines ♪

What is this?

This is magic that's gonna send your ass

over the fuckin' moon.

-How much? -For you?

-$100. -100 bucks?

I can get this much back up in Seattle for $40!

Look around, does it look like we're in Seattle?

You got palm trees in fuckin' Seattle?

Does Marlon Brando live in Seattle?

100 bucks.

Take it or beat it.

That's all I got-

Hey! Where's a guy go to have a good time around here?

Excuse me, do I know you?

♪ Where the sunshine gon' get me high ♪

[exhales audibly]

♪ I'm goin' where the sunshine gon' get me high ♪

[exhales audibly]

[Romana] He started just doin'

a lot of drugs and. . and drinking a lot

and, uh, would disappear for days on end and. .

I'm. . I'm not gonna raise

my kid how my parents raised me.

[phone ringing]

[Romana] Ooh.

[ringing continues]

-Hello? -[young Rodney] Hi!

I'm calling for the most gorgeous woman

in the entire world.

Is that one of your brother's pick up lines?

[Young Rodney] Ouch, Romana.

I'd say we're well beyond that.

I mean, I thought we were,

but someone doesn't know how to pick up the phone.

[Young Rodney] I'm here working for you, babe.

For the both of you.

-How's little Rod? -[Ramona] He's kicking.

I cannot wait to feel that.

I'm so excited for you to get here.

I just know that this kid is gonna have

your eyes and, Lord willing,

he doesn't have my ears, and I think he'll be okay.

-Hm. -[Young Rodney] But seriously.

Being in your arms again will be absolute Heaven

and I sure cannot wait.

Oh. Now?

Now you miss me?

Come on, babe. What do you want from me?

I'm just trying to do right by ya.

[Ramona] It's late, Rod.

I need to go.

I have an early flight tomorrow.

Love you.

[phone clicks]

You all right?

Yeah.

It's about time you let him know.

-I know. -He needs to know.

When things started getting fucked up

with Rodney and I, uh, he heard from my brother

at the mechanic shop and started coming around more

and maybe the truth is that. .

I didn't know for a while, but I had a suspicion

that it was actually Wayne Shannon's.

♪

Hey!

-You're here! -Hi, Rod.

I can't stay long.

What're you talking about, you just got into town.

Yeah, I wanted to talk to you in person.

Do you wanna have a seat?

-Yeah. . -Okay.

-[Romana] Chat? -Yeah. Sure, what. .

What's up, babe?

You're always drinking God knows how much,

staying out 'til the wee hours of the morning,

barely remembering to call me.

I am pregnant, Rod.

I know you're pregnant.

And that's why I'm down here trying to earn a living for us.

[Romana] Yeah, and drink half of it away while you're at it?

We are not in love, Rod. We got married for the baby.

-[young Rodney] Romana. . -And I'll be damned

if I spend the rest of my life unhappy

just because I got pregnant.

Oh, hon, I'm trying to do the right thing here.

I made an honest woman out of you.

Yes, I got you pregnant, but you're down here

and we're gonna be a family together.

I don't even know if it's yours, Rod.

[young Rodney] Oh.

[sighs] Okay.

I know what this is about. This is about Wayne Shannon.

You're fucking Wayne Shannon.

[Romana] It's none of your business.

I think it is my business!

-It's about us! -There is no us!

I am done, Rod. I am done.

-Do you hear that? -Romana,

I moved my ass all the way to LA for this.

For you.

For the goddamn baby.

And this is what you do?

[Rodney] She thought she could talk to me about

having sex with a guy.

Well, you don't talk to me

when you have sex with somebody else.

I flipped out.

I took a chair and threw it right through

the. . right through the side window.

I was, uh, very upset.

I thought that she loved me,

but then she left me because of my temper.

[Kevin] What the fuck, Rodney?

I told you no more bullshit!

-You're gone! -Fuck you, Kevin!

That's the worst pain I've ever felt

in my life, is losing her.

Absolutely pain that you wouldn't believe.

'Cause I loved her.

♪ I been walking, oh, oh ♪

♪ Down this lonely road ♪

♪ Trying to find my way, mmm ♪

♪ Find my way back home ♪

♪ Sleepless nights, yeah ♪

♪ Cryin' 'bout my bare side ♪

♪ Oh, trying to get my mind ♪

♪ Off of your love, mmm ♪

♪ Sweet baby, take me back ♪

♪ Oh, take me back ♪

♪ To the good times ♪

♪ Where my heart belongs ♪

♪ Oh, on the open road ♪

♪ Night can be so cold on this journey ♪

♪ Going up this open road ♪

[music fades]

[Rodney] So I got back to Federal Way in Washington.

I was not very right in the mind at the time.

She knew I was looking for her.

They didn't do a damn thing in those days

with somebody stealin' your kid.

So, be honest.

How'd you like the movie?

Well, Eastwood was dreamy

and I like a little violence.

The baby doesn't really like the violence.

[Wayne] Oh, honey. You seem cold.

♪

And about the violence.

Just like Dirty Harry,

I'm gonna keep you. .

and this baby safe forever.

Don't you worry.

I love you, Wayne Shannon.

[Wayne] I love you, Romana Lisa Capps.

Wayne Shannon, you're a dead man.

They tried to talk to me, my cousins and stuff,

and I just couldn't take it.

I was just. . madly in love with this woman.

Had a baby by her.

And, uh, we split up.

His, uh, wife at the time had left him

and then had actually stated

that the child that they had together,

or that he assumed they had together,

probably wasn't his.

And I think that at that time, he. . he lost his mind,

the wheels came off at that point.

-[young Rodney snorts] -[Marty] Hey, I couldn't find

your car, man. . Holy shit.

-[young Rodney coughs] -You all right, man?

[young Rodney] Oh. . yeah.

What the fuck's goin' on?

[young Rodney] Well, Romana came down.

And, uh, she's leavin' me.

Sneaking around with Wayne Shannon.

Yeah.

[exhales] So. . [chuckles]

I have devised a plan and with your help

it's gonna work and I'll get her back.

Honestly. Let it go.

I've never heard of a broad changing her mind

after stepping out with a new man.

[snorting]

[Marty] Maybe you're hitting that shit too hard, man.

Oh, wow.

Says my drug dealer.

What, overnight you grew a conscience?

Huh? You grew a fuckin' pair of balls?

Fuck you, Marty. Get down here.

-Have some of this with me. -I'm good.

[young Rodney] Oh, you're good? Yeah.

You know, I fuckin' had your back

-through it all. -[Rodney mumbles]

I've fuckin' been there for you.

But I'm not fuckin' doin' this shit

and I'm not goin' down this fuckin' road with you.

What fuckin' road?

This fuckin' road with me

and the woman I love, Romana?

It's not fuckin' about Romana!

It's never been about Romana, it's about these fuckin' drugs.

That are killing you!

And I'm not gonna be here to see that.

You're not there for much, are you, Marty?

Chicken shit.

Your chicken shit ideas,

and you're a chicken shit lackey.

So, by all means, go fuck off.

Out the front door. And go home.

All right.

Call me if you need me.

You know where the fuck I am. Been there the last 20 years.

-Uh-huh. Mmm. -For you.

See you at Thanksgiving, asshole!

[door slams shut]

[snorting & coughing]

[Marty] After the Romana split,

I'd never seen him like that.

He. . he wasn't Rodney anymore.

He wasn't the Rodney I know.

And that dude's the craziest guy,

so to be at that point, for me,

I didn't even know how to have his back.

I didn't know how to support him.

So, at that moment in time. .

Rodney could've done anything.

Anything was possible.

[ominous music plays]

[Rodney] I was up for four days on criss-cross speed.

Uh, had suicidal, uh, tendencies,

I had the suitcase

with the flares, like, dynamite.

I was gonna force her to go with me,

no matter which way you look at it.

♪

[interviewer] What were you wearing that day?

[Rodney] I wore a sports jacket,

penny loafers, black tie,

a tie clasp with a round stone in it.

[interviewer] Why were you wearing a suit?

[Rodney] I wanted to impress my, uh,

wife when I picked her up.

♪

I drove over to her mother's house

and asked her where she was at

and she said that she just left in her Javelin

to go down to Portland at the mall

and I figured, well, I'd just go ahead

try to catch her at the mall so I could talk to her and,

uh, drove from Seattle Federal Way to. . to Portland.

I parked my car in the loop.

[interviewer] So, you're saying that you were suicidal,

so you went to go take her hostage?

[Rodney] Yes, I did. I was gonna do it.

[interviewer] And that was a very serious thought

-in your mind? -[Rodney] Yes.

♪

[Rodney] I took a taxi from there to the mall.

Jameson Beach mall, and step on it already.

[Rodney] But she wasn't there, missed her by 20 minutes.

Plan B was to get ahead of her,

so I'd take an airplane back.

Right away I was worried, I just left the car,

took a cab from the air. .

from there, the mall, to the airport.

Got to the airport, I asked him how much

it'd be to ride coach to Seattle and they said $20.

I signed my name Dan Cooper.

[Mike] Anytime y. . you start digging into something

that happened in the past,

there are a lot of different things

that could or couldn't have happened,

and as time grows, you. . you. .

those facts are more difficult to uncover.

Sometimes it. . it. . it's left with a question mark.

After being presented with what he gave us,

we're convinced enough to at least move forward

with this because, whether the story is true or not,

it. . it's an adventure.

And we went on a treasure hunt.

[Wes] We're gonna pass, like, some sort of,

like, industrial area, which is where,

on some YouTube video, they dropped a pin that said

"DB money found," like, around that area.

[man] That's what I'm saying Tena Bar is. .

[Wes] Right, right.

[Mike] Yeah, it's called Tena Bar,

and it. . it's located on several maps

so we're trying to, uh, convert,

you know, screenshots over to an actual GPS map

and, uh, figured out where it was.

[Wes] DB was talkin' about a little cove

that he buried the money at

and we think that's the cove right there.

[man] Outside the cove.

So we'll be able to park on the road

or maybe even closer, pop down, and. .

theoretically get it.

[Mike] This is, um, a geographic area

that is. . it's very, very, rural.

Flat and open and it has a lot of growth,

there's no malls out there.

[Rodney] Road closed. -[man] Well, this is us.

[Carlos] As we pull up to the end of the road,

we have the anticipation, as you're starting,

that you might actually dig up,

you know, $190,000.

You know, a 48 year mystery solved,

you know, in a handful of hours.

[interviewer] How're you feeling?

I'm optimistic, but still. .

I have to be a realist. If it's there, though.

He says he can find it, so we're gonna give it a go.

The money they did find right down there. .

Yeah. We're looking at the cove that he had identified

as a landmark to where he. .

[man] How far is it away?

[man 2] Like, 900 feet, it's close.

[Mike] Well, let's gear up, let's get all the stuff

we need for, uh, hoofing here

and anything we need to dig it out.

I mean, let's do it.

If it's there, we're gonna find it right now.

Carry the money out there.

[Mike] When they were getting out of the vehicle,

they grabbed a duffel bag

and then a backpack that was empty,

not one single thing in it and I could hear them

talkin', sayin', "We'll just put the money in this. "

Why would they do that unless they really felt

there was money out there?

Because we had backpacks,

we could've easily carried it out.

But instead they had an empty backpack,

so that was part of the. . one of the times

when I thought, "Well, this. . this is real

and we might find this money. "

So, are you guys armed right now?

Are you guys carryin'?

[Rodney] Don. Don was. .

Are you guys carrying a weapon?

Well, I don't think we need it out here, do we?

No, we don't, I was just makin' sure

that we're all safe and we're all on the same page.

Oh, yeah.

He gets on a shootin' spree, he might not quit.

Well, I only brought one clip. .

Cameramen are next!

[chattering & laughter continues]

Let's go get the money!

[interviewer] How're you feelin' right now?

Real good. I'm gonna go dig my money up.

The main thing is I didn't harm nobody.

I just got the money. I never was gonna harm nobody.

A little dynamite don't scare anybody, does it?

[Rodney cackles] It does.

When you're way up in the air.

[interviewer] What was your intention

getting on that plane?

[Rodney] Getting on that plane was to,

uh. . uh, get ahead of her.

Well, things escalated.

I said I might as well get some cash

and do a quick robbery

and, uh, that's when I realized

that I had the suitcase anyway,

that I would go ahead and use that suitcase

as a bomb threat and take the plane over.

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Tina

and I'm your chief flight attendant.

We go back and forth up the coast,

I. . it was just like any normal flight.

Done it 1,000 times.

[Tina over PA] I'd like to welcome you aboard

Northwest Orient 727 nonstop service

from Portland to Seattle.

At this time, we'd like to ask you to. .

-[stewardess] Here you go. -[Young Rodney] Thank you.

Is everything all right?

Yeah, uh, I lost my wife.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

[young Rodney] But, you know what, Flo,

I think that everything is gonna be all right.

You just keep those drinks comin' . [chuckles]

and at the end of this flight

I'm gonna have a nice, big tip for ya.

-Oh, okay. -[Tina] Flo came and got me

and said that there was a. .

disturbing passenger in 18E.

I thought I'd go by and take a look.

Excuse me.

Oh, did you want me to give this to Flo?

I know you've been hot on her tail.

[laughing] No, no, no. Um, that's quite all right.

That's. . that's for you.

[Tina] Oh, you're not very picky, are you?

I'm flattered, but married.

I think you'd better take a good,

-long look at that note. -[Tina] Okay.

[Rodney] She read the note and then I went and flashed

the suitcase in front of her and kinda looked at me

and stuttered all the way up to the. . fast as she could.

[pilot 1] Auto coming on. Okay.

Is everything all right?

"$200,000 in negotiable

American currency and. . four parachutes

or this plane blows. [chuckles]

Too bad it's Thanksgiving and not April Fools. [chuckles]

-[Pilot] Yeah, right? -Who put you up to this?

The passenger in 18E.

This isn't a joke, sir.

Let me see that thing.

It smells like whiskey.

You know, I'll tell you what.

Here, you tell 007 back there

if he wants to earn his wings,

he can come up here and ask me next time, okay?

He showed me the bomb, captain.

I think this is really happening.

[Pilot] Oh, shit.

Who the hell hijacks a plane on a 30-minute flight?

That's the craziest thing I've ever heard.

All right, punch in the Squawk Code

and, uh, make the call.

Metro tower, this is

Northwest Orient flight 305.

We have a. . situation.

[Pilot] Yeah, we do.

All right, auto coming off.

Okay, everybody, could we settle down, please?

Please, quiet, we. . we don't have

a lot of time here, guys, so we're on limited time.

Thank you. Um, first question.

[reporter 1] Was there ever any attempt

to dissuade him or refuse his orders?

[Co-pilot clears throat]

The safety of the crew is paramount

in a situation like that.

We were honoring his requests

and therefore made no attempt

to impede his mission, per se.

[Rodney] Well, I went up to the pilot,

he was telling me, uh, what. . what they were gonna do.

They'll have the money.

And I said, for a good gesture,

I'll let everybody off the plane.

And, uh, meanwhile, I'm talking

to the sheriff's department and they said,

uh, they got two 'chutes from McCord airport base

and they got two from somewhere else.

One's for green, one's for brown.

So, I took the green one because I knew

that the air force packed 'em and I wasn't gonna die.

I didn't wanna harm anybody.

I didn't have any dynamite in that suitcase,

it was all flares and. . and an alarm clock.

[laughs] I didn't mean anybody harm,

but it was too late to back out.

After we secured the money and the parachute,

we took off from Seattle and then he asked us to lower

our airspeed and our altitude, which we did.

[young Rodney] All right, fellas,

I'm gonna need you to take this thing down

to about 10,000 feet

and slow it down to about 100 knots.

But, sir, it's inclement weather here.

Just. . just. . I know what this bird can do,

just, please, follow my request.

Tina. Sweet Tina.

I'm gonna have to have you stay up here now.

I don't wanna see you get hurt.

I don't wanna see anybody get hurt.

[reporter 2] And what was he like?

How was his demeanor during the ordeal?

Well, he was rather nice.

Other than he wanted certain things done.

He was never cruel or nasty.

He even ordered a second bourbon

and paid his drink tab.

He even tried to tip me. [chuckles]

♪ He's the leader of the band ♪

♪ Takes strides against his enemies ♪

♪ Down coke-filled hallways ♪

♪ Against what his mother said ♪

♪ Blonde hair, blue eyed ♪

♪ An angel in the daylight ♪

♪ Come night, he's three tabs deep ♪

♪ And senseless ♪

♪ Against the face of violence. . ♪

[reporter 3] Given the conditions of the jump,

do you think he could've survived?

Um. . [chuckles]

without any training?

Uh, I think his chances were between slim and none.

♪ Oh, I see myself free falling ♪

♪ Being the woman to his addiction ♪

♪

[Rodney] I went right down on the Columbia River.

I left $5,880 on the beach and I took 300 more out

and I went forth and buried the other part on the way out.

♪

♪ Oh, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby ♪

♪ Hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, baby ♪

[young Rodney grunting & log thudding]

♪ Oh, no, no, no, no, no ♪

[laughing]

[music fades]

[Mike] When we got out there, you know,

it's a matter of. . kind of getting, uh, a feel

of the geographic area and then following his lead

by where he described the money being buried.

And so from the gate's location is it to the south?

[Rodney] Wherever that money that I buried the first time. .

I go from there, down to the cove,

there's a great big black onyx rock.

That's where I buried the money.

Just off to the main track where they ride motorcycles?

-[Rodney] Yeah. -[Mike] Okay.

[Mike] He was all on board and knew that it was there.

That wasn't a question, it was. .

it's there and we just need to find it.

Holy shit, it's all grown-in

48 years later.

We're comin' straight through the woods.

[Rodney] Where I put the first money was down there

and I climbed over a barbed-wire fence

and cut my pants and came over on a hill.

Then I followed it out this way toward Woodland.

-[Mike] Right, right. -[Rodney] The lights

[Mike] He came up over a berm.

And then there was a dirt road. .

a sandy dirt road.

So, if this is that dirt road, we gotta be close

because that bay is right over there.

All this new growth can cover up something

that's five, six feet tall, easily.

[man over radio] Where are you?

Give me a little bit of reference.

-[walkie-talkie beeps] -Well, we're moving faster

than you we. . we're moving south on the road.

If you guys get up north on that little area over here. .

[interviewer] How you feelin'?

Uh, he's just kind of dialing it in.

I. . I feel optimistic right now.

Walked up further, went further north,

and he insists that it's way above

the flood stage and. . and. . and tidal influence.

And found, what I thought, was a really good

potential target area.

There's a really cool area up here

where it does have a high berm and it definitely would be

probably above flood stage and tide stage.

So, check out. . you know, 'cause he said

there was a distinctive berm.

-Look how this comes up. -[Mike] Yeah.

It's all sand but when you get up on there

it's full of, uh, old,

uh, RV or off-road vehicle tracks.

-Yeah. -With access

right here to the road.

[Mike] It does fit the description of the area.

And then he did say he followed it out.

-[Carlos] Yeah. -So he buried it

and then saw. .

tracks, motorcycle. . whatever that came back out.

So this could be where he came out.

[Rodney] If I follow those tracks out,

I should be able to get to a road

and I did, I walked out and got to the main road

and then this cowboy picks me up.

[country music plays]

[cowboy] Ooh-ooh-ooh! You just party out there, man?

[young Rodney] Somethin' like that.

[cowboy] Well, hop in, huh?

[Rodney] And if it wasn't for that cowboy

that picked me up drinkin' alcohol,

headin' to a bar in Woodland, I would've never made it,

I don't think.

You have no idea how much I appreciate this.

Here. For the trouble.

[cowboy] Hey, appreciate! See you down the road, hoss.

[Rodney] Rode me up to Piggly Wiggly's,

he says, "Hurry up, get in there,

you get your shoes 'cause they close at ten. "

And I went across the street and down

this alley 'cause there's a phone booth right there.

Called a taxi to bring me back to Portland, Oregon.

♪ You help me baby ♪

♪ Said you got your misgivings ♪

♪ But I'm out here day to day ♪

♪ Working hard just for my living ♪

♪ And that's the truth, baby ♪

[interviewer] You pretty much made it clear.

You. . you're free and clear, pretty much.

[Rodney] I'm free. I'm goin' home.

I said, "I'm goin' home. "

There's nothin. . no. . nobody knows who I am.

Driving home across the bridge,

got into Oregon and I got up towards Olympia

and I saw the. . state patrol.

There must've been ten cars coming down the other side

with the army, a bunch of 'em, and these big trucks

are goin' down the road and I'm goin',

"Uh-oh, might be for me. " You know?

So, I turn the transistor radio on, it says a manhunt.

[radio newscaster] Police believe he left

the 727 in the flatlands

of Oregon or Washington, but they are still looking

in four states, even around the airport.

[Rodney] November 25th at my mom's house

to get my dinner. . turkey dinner.

I ate there then went downstairs and went to bed.

Slept 'til about two or three in the afternoon

and my dad said, "You had a rough night,

must've been out with some girls with him

or something, always with those girls. "

And my mom said, "Oh, let him go,

it's Thanksgiving. "

You know, and everything.

♪ Whoa, she was my little machine ♪

I got home and then I sat there

and then Joe McDonald came over, the neighbor,

and said, "Oh, you gotta turn the TV on. "

So then I turn the TV on and my. .

my dad's sitting there and he goes, "Betty!

This looks like Rod!

But how could it be Rod? He's sittin' right here. "

That's what he said to my mother.

Well, that's another good lookin' Irish kid,

isn't it?

-What, half Irish? -[young Rodney laughing]

I give the Lions plus three.

You always bet on the Lions, the Lions never win.

I pick the Lions on Thanksgiving,

that's the way it is.

No smoking in the house.

My second family! My home away from home!

[Jack and Babs] Happy Thanksgiving, McDonald.

McDonald, how many times do I have to tell you

to keep your fuckin' feet off my fuckin' table?

Senior, these are bitchin' Italian leather.

I don't care if they came straight off the feet

of Elvis Aaron Presley himself.

Off the table or in your ass.

-You pick. -Sorry, sorry.

You know, McDonald, actin' like that,

you're never gonna get yourself a babe like my Babs here.

You two make me sick.

Piss off, Rodney.

[young Rodney] Piss off, Barbara.

Hey, piss off, Rod.

Piss off, Jack. You got a muzzle for her?

-[Babs] I can hold my own. -[young Rodney scoffs]

You know that from experience.

That's 'cause you wear the pants

in the relationship.

Oh, Rod, you know that's not true.

[Mom] Hey, hey, guys, cut it out!

When can a mother just have a nice,

peaceful holiday

with her two lovely boys and her dapper husband?

Oh, I wish my family was this well-behaved.

Hell, I just came here to get away from their asses.

Oh, and see if you guys watched the news!

Some guy hijacked a plane in Portland last night

and then jumped from it!

It's like some James Bond movie, man!

Ooh, I love James Bond!

Turn it on, Senior!

[news anchor] When he got on a plane

in Portland, Oregon last night,

he was just another passenger

who gave his name as D. A. Cooper.

But today, after hijacking a. .

A plane heist? In our backyard?

Oh, dear Lord!

This guy got away with it though.

-Betty. -[Mom] Yeah?

This looks a lot like Rod.

How can it be Rod? He's sitting right here!

[news anchor] . left aboard four crew members

and the hijacker.

[Dad] I guess it's just another

good-looking Irish kid.

[all] No smoking in the house!

[news anchor] . with the full ransom

collected from the Seattle banks

and four parachutes aboard. .

[Rodney] My dad didn't know, I didn't tell my dad and mom

for ten years after I did it.

[interviewer] So, did you tell anyone

right after you committed the crime?

My brother. My brother's known all along.

[Jack] Golly!

Brigitte Bardot's hot as a pistol!

[young Rodney] Oh, yeah?

You got the Brigitte Bardot edition?

-Let me take a look. -Hands off the merchandise.

Sorry, it's not like I need to see it,

I've seen it a thousand times.

I got Brigitte Bardot stored away up here

for very special occasions in the future.

Yeah?

Like the time you got busted by mom

-looking for face lotion? -[young Rodney laughs]

No, and I would prefer that we forget about that,

thank you very much.

Lotta good memories in this house.

Do you remember when we used to raid

dad's old movie cabinet

and we'd put on Public Enemy over and over and over again?

And I would play John Dillinger

and you'd play Pretty Boy Floyd?

Yeah, yeah.

Or how 'bout that kid across the street?

With the headgear?

What'd we call him? What'd we used to call him?

Uh. .

[both] Brace-face Nelson!

[laughing] What an idiot.

Gangster films. .

I have a feeling I'm about to put

all those gangsters in the cinema to shame.

Keep dreamin', bud.

No, I'm not kidding.

Last night on the news,

the guy that jumped outta the plane, you remember?

-Yeah. -[laughs]

You're sitting with him. It was me.

-[Jack] Full of shit. -[laughing]

I'm not full of shit.

I really did it. Look, come on.

If I didn't do it, how did I get these?

Rod, if you were that guy,

we'd be on our way to paradise with $200,000.

You really don't believe me. I jumped out of the plane!

I landed and about a quarter mile from where I landed

I buried all this money

next to this big black onyx rock!

I need you to come help me dig it up.

You're serious?

[young Rodney scoffs] As a heart attack.

Okay, let's just say,

hypothetically, you were that guy.

Those bills would definitely be marked. .

and if you got caught you'd be goin' to Walla Walla

for the rest of your goddamn life.

Bro, I need you to believe me on this.

Rod. .

if you're that guy. . don't go back there.

[announcer] The Army Corps of Engineers

had dredged the Columbia River here in 1974.

[Mike] And the original money was found just south of here.

So, this, uh, probably

is the cove that he encountered.

And then he moved inland from there.

Have him come take a look at this.

[announcer] And now on shore,

where FBI agents comb the sand like archaeologists.

All they found was $5,800 and no sign of D. B. Cooper.

Oh, yeah, it's here.

It's right on this. . we're right in the right area.

It's gotta be here somewhere.

[intriguing music playing]

[worker indistinct]

[Rodney] And they're digging right by the flat rock, right?

[man] Yeah.

[Mike] To me, that whole group of rocks right there. .

Yeah, and that is. . he says that's black onyx.

And, yeah, there's several up in this area too,

so that's the only concentration of that.

[announcer] Crews continue to dig

but found very little

of Cooper's green treasure today,

even though the discovery site

is looking like a very scientific

archaeological excavation.

Shovels gave way to backhoes,

the FBI and geologists

scooping out a test-trench up the beach.

What they're trying to tell,

how long had D. B. 's money been here?

They knew certain levels were laid down on the beach

in 1974, but they found no money below that point.

[man 2 whistling]

-[Mike] We got a whistle. -[both] What's up?

[Carlos] Heard a whistle,

blood starts pumping, and I think, "Okay,

maybe somebody's found something of interest.

[man 2] Is anybody in the woods?

There's a body.

[Carlos] I thought I heard somebody say,

"I found a body. "

[Mike] [indistinct] body.

[man 3] Yeah, we might wanna go up there and check it out.

[man 4] Well, I will just take this.

[Mike] And then uh. .

and then I hear something about a warrant.

somebody hollerin'

We don't know if it's a sheriff

or an officer or who it could be.

We're just out for a day hike and shooting some of the. .

[Mike] I mean, we knew going in

that we probably shouldn't be there.

[Carlos indistinct]

[Scott] Kids walk from the bus everyday

'cause I live down here.

That sign is pretty highly posted

-on that gate. -Yeah.

So is this all private property from the gate back?

-[Scott] Yessir. -Yeah.

[Scott] Sorry, I'm not trying to be an ass.

-[Carlos] No, no. -[Mike] And we're not either.

-[Scott] I'm loaded. -So are we.

You have the complete right to. . yeah.

[Scott] My name's Scott. Is that on?

-Do you want it to be on? -[Scott] No.

-[both laughing] -[cameraman] It's not on you.

-Yeah. -[Scott] It's recording.

What're you guys recovering?

You said you guys were down here

with a recovery agent?

What're you looking for?

[all laughing]

[Scott] Hey, you're on my property,

what're you looking for?

Is that your specific property?

-[Scott] Yeah! -I. . I thought

this was private property-

[Scott] No, no, it says it all over the gate.

[interviewer] Why didn't you go back and get the money?

[Rodney] Pandora's box.

You open that box. .

it's gonna happen all over again.

138 kidnapping cases plus the pilots,

another four, five of them.

That's. . you'd never get out of prison,

you'd never see the light of day.

I knew that I was still wanted.

It was, like, I was wanted all the time,

walking around and I thought maybe sooner or later

somebody'd recognize me, but that wasn't the case.

So I decided to go on the run for a while,

I went to Whitefish, Montana, went to, uh, Lake Tahoe,

I went to Reno, I went to Vegas.

[interviewer] I. . so. . you just. . you knew

you had done something so crazy

and you knew you would go to prison forever

so there's no way that you'd have ever bragged?

No.

But I did brag to Rita Coolidge.

I met her in Lake Tahoe, she's singing at a bar,

and she says, "Well, you know I did a movie

with Kris Kristofferson, Billy the Kid. "

And she says, "You're more famous

than Billy the Kid. "

She said, "I'd like to do a movie with you. "

And so, she took her shoes off

and kept rubbing her feet on my knee and, uh,

getting close to this and I says,

"Well, she must like me a whole bunch. "

I just made a movie with Kris

called Billy the Kid. .

and things had gotten, well. .

[sighs] out of hand.

I was heartbroken at the time, you know,

and drinkin' more than I shoulda been.

♪ All I was was patient ♪

♪ All I was was kind ♪

♪ But you found the burnt pieces ♪

♪ Of the love we left behind ♪

♪ The love we left behind ♪

♪ Oh, the love we left ♪

♪ Behind ♪

♪ Mm ♪

[applause]

-Hey, Stan. -[Stan] Hey!

Can I get a Macallan on the rocks?

You know how I like it.

Now a lady who knows how to order whiskey. .

that, I like.

Well, I been drinkin' long enough

to know what I like.

Well, that makes two of us.

And, I love that song that you sang tonight.

Who writes something like that?

That's incredible, I could really, you know,

hear all the pain coming out of you on that one.

[laughs]

Yeah.

Heartbreak is a funny thing.

There's always that one

that leaves with a piece of you.

And the only way I seem to cope is on a stage. .

or with a few of these.

I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.

Rodney Bonnifield. Pleasure to meet you.

Rita Coolidge.

Just like the town in Colorado.

[young Rodney] Oh, yeah?

It's actually named after my family.

Now, that is funny because. .

-I also have a long history. . -Oh, wait, wait, wait.

I wanna hear this.

-Stan, turn it up. -[Stan] You got it.

[news anchor] In other news,

it's been two years since the D. B. Cooper hijacking

and still no sign of a suspect.

Oh, my gosh.

I'm fascinated by this guy.

It takes a real man to carry out a plan like that

and not harm a soul.

Now, that I will agree with you on.

Yeah.

You know, he's probably on some beach somewhere

sippin' piña coladas

while I'm here in this bar

singin' songs to the same ten people every night.

[laughs] Well, I can certainly see why!

You know, this D. B. Cooper fella,

he's probably on some white sandy beach somewhere

tossin' back a piña colada.

Or. .

he's right here in this bar. .

havin' drinks with you, miss.

[guitar music playing]

♪ Woke up this morning I was a thousand miles away ♪

♪ Didn't know just where I stand ♪

♪ Nothing on me but this beat up suitcase ♪

♪ And I know I got a plan ♪

♪ And I'll be runnin' now ♪

♪ 'Fore my feet ever hit the ground ♪

♪ I'll be runnin' now ♪

♪ 'Fore my feet ever hit the ground ♪

♪ And I'm running out of my head ♪

♪ Nobody's gonna bring me down ♪

You know, I was thinkin' .

you should come to Denver with me.

I got a couple gigs there.

[young Rodney sighs]

I can't go to Colorado with you.

I've had a fantastic time with you. .

But the whole outlaw on the run thing. .

kinda gets in the way.

I understand.

I've had a melody in my head all morning.

♪ Run, D. B. , run ♪

♪ Mm ♪

♪ Run, D. B. , run ♪

♪ But for how long? ♪

♪ 'Cause eventually ♪

♪ You're gonna have to find somebody ♪

♪ To hold onto ♪

[interviewer] Um, what do you. .

where do you think we go from here?

In this process?

Well, where we go from here?

First, we have some details that we have to vet out

and there are. . there are a few specific things

that may indicate, um, that,

still there's a chance that he is D. B. Cooper.

If we debunk those, then. .

then I think our options do shrink.

And if you analyze the facts

and his commitment to this dig,

um, you think, "Yes, it's true. It's real.

This individual is D. B. Cooper.

You know, we were disappointed at the end of the day

because in three hours we didn't solve a mystery

that had been going on for 48 years.

So we felt negligent.

But in reality, you know, we went out there

and gave it, you know, a good effort and, uh, again,

it doesn't mean that it's not there.

It just means we didn't find it.

So we, right now, today, don't know.

So what we need to do is fall back

and do some fact checking on some of the things

-that he's told us. -[man on phone] Hey.

Hey, um, we're doing some fact checking. .

and does he have his brother's number?

Does Rod have his brother's number

or any phone numbers?

-[man] 360. -Yep.

-[man] 387. -Yep.

[man] But he is, again, recouping from, uh,

prostate surgery

and he wants to recoup a little bit.

Okay, that's fair. We'll call him first.

[phone line rings]

And this is his brother, Jack,

who just got out of prostate surgery two days ago.

So if he's all hopped up,

he might be telling us the truth.

-[Babs] Hello? -Hey, is Jack available?

[Babs] Uh, no he's not, who's this?

Uh, my name is Mike Rocha

we're doing some research

on the D. B. Cooper hijacking back in 1971.

-Are you familiar with that? -[Babs] Uh-huh.

-We're talking to Rod and. . -[Babs] Oh.

Rod claims to be D. B. Cooper.

[Babs] Oh, no he's not.

Do you have any. . I mean. . is he. .

has he had this manifestation in his mind for a while?

[Babs] Yeah, yeah, for a long time.

Right. Do you. . I mean, do you guys have facts about,

the. . where he was the day that it happened or anything?

[Babs] No, but he's definitely not.

Uh, yeah, I mean,

we've spent the last couple days with him,

trying to, you know, corroborate his story.

What is the family's view on this?

[Babs] The family's view is that he's nuts. [laughing]

I mean. . what. . has he always been crazy

-or, um. . -[Babs] Uh, no.

He was in a car wreck when he was about 18. .

-Right. - . years old.

[Babs] And, uh, he. .

uh, he went forward in the backseat

and then when he went backwards

he hit his head real bad.

[Babs indistinct]

[Mike] We got a hold of his sister-in-law.

And she described an accident that Rodney was in

and he sustained a brain injury.

Which really sheds some light

on our view of him.

Now it's possible he is a little bit delusional.

[interviewer] You're so detailed

with everything and that's why I'm just. .

I'm so interested

as why some of your family members

might not believe that you are

or some people might not believe that you are.

Well, my brother's wife, Barbara Bonnifield,

wants to protect their name.

They're Christians, they have a Christian. .

they go to church,

my mom and dad went to church there and stuff.

She's known all along that I'm D. B. Cooper.

I had called her

about three months before this episode happened.

I said, "I'm goin' down there

and digging my money up by the river. "

Before I even met you guys.

And. . and that's. . that's what I told her.

She never answered me, she just is kinda like,

"Okay, protect the family.

Protect the family name, you know. "

[interviewer] She said that, uh,

the reason why you're claiming to be all this

is because of your car wreck.

No, that's not true.

Car wreck happened in 9th grade,

going from 9th grade on Military Road,

we got hit sideways with a woman that was driving,

her mother was there.

And his name was Johnson. Uh, her name was Johnson.

She ran a stop sign.

-[tires squeaking] -[glass shattering]

My fault. The accident was my fault.

It was an accident. Accidents are accidents.

[Rodney] [echoing] I got hit in my head and, uh,

I was dizzy for, like, a couple years after that

taking Dilaudid pills.

Pandora's box.

You open that box, it'll happen all over again.

[driver] [echoing] Please calm down! Okay?

I know your gal left you, I'm so sorry.

What the fuck, Rodney! I told you no more bullshit!

You're gone!

[Rodney] 138 kidnapping cases,

you'll never get out of prison.

You wouldn't even see the light of day.

[young Rodney] I'd sit your ass down if I were you

and fix that crooked-ass toupee while you're at it.

[pilot 1] It was at that point, we believe,

that with the money strapped to his chest,

he then jumped from the aircraft.

Appreciate it! See you down the road, boss!

Come away with me, Rodney.

[hyperventilating]

I love you, Rodney Bonnifield.

-[Rodney indistinct] -[tense music playing]

That's it. 48 years of runnin'

Now the FBI will look for me and they will look hard.

And I ain't goin' easy.

Run D. B. , run.

Run D. B. , run.

Run D. B. , run.

Run D. B. , run.

Run D. B. , run.

♪ Runnin' down the road got the wind in my hair ♪

♪ Got enough fuel for Reno, babe I'll meet you there ♪

♪ Tell you most people wouldn't get this high ♪

♪ And I'm tailin' down the highway ♪

♪ Got this gleam in my eye ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Run, oh keep runnin' won't ever get caught ♪

♪ I'm gonna keep runnin' 'til the wheels come off ♪

♪ I'm heading straight west, baby, into the sun ♪

♪ I'm on the freeway inside of a car ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Well my mama she done told me ♪

♪ I was born to lose ♪

♪ All throughout my lonely life ♪

♪ Damn, my woman singing the lonely blues ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Whoo, keep running, boy ♪

♪ Got that look in your eye♪

♪ Run, run, baby ♪

♪ Run, run, run ♪

♪ Run, run, run ♪

♪ Run, run, run ♪

♪ Run, run, run ♪

♪ Run, run, run ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ I've got a plan baby, make things right ♪

♪ Finding out who grabbed my case of dynamite ♪

♪ Criss-crossing baby, jumping out of my seat ♪

♪ Skyjacking baby going down for the win ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Well my mama she done told me ♪

♪ I was born to lose ♪

♪ All throughout my life ♪

♪ Damn, my woman singing the lonely blues ♪

♪ Run, run run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Run, run run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Run, run, run D. B. , D. B. run ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run, run, run ♪

♪ D. B. , D. B. run ♪