Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 5 | Forensic Files

DENNIS FARINA: Next on "Unsolved Mysteries." What really happened to DB Cooper? He was the infamous skyjacker who jumped out of a plane
with $200,000 and disappeared. They call it the chair of death. Those who dare take a seat were doomed.
The family of a teenage girl is viciously attacked by her ex-boyfriend. And a Florida woman meets the man of her dreams,
and then vanishes. Join me for five cases that will surprise you and perhaps even shock you.
I'm Dennis Farina, and for the next hour, it's "Unsolved Mysteries." [theme music]
Thanksgiving Eve, 1971. A man who identified himself as DB Cooper walks into the airport in Portland, Oregon.
RALPH HIMMELSBACK: He was your typical business man-- a suit, tie, a raincoat, carrying an attache case.
Nothing distinctive about him, except perhaps for the fact that everything was very dark-- a black tie,
a black raincoat, black shoes. He appeared at the ticket counter, bought his ticket,
and just gave the name Cooper. Bye the way, is that a 727? Uh, yes, sir, it is. RALPH HIMMELSBACK: The 727 became notorious
through this case because it is the only airliner from which a successful parachute jump can be
made from the passenger cabin. DENNIS FARINA: DB Cooper buys a one way ticket to Seattle.
His only luggage, a briefcase. Have a nice flight. Thank you, sir. You have a good flight now.
ATTENDANT: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard Flight 305-- DENNIS FARINA: He's the last person to board the plane.
He takes his seat while the 727 begins taxiing to the runway. Florence Schaffner is the first crew member to talk to Cooper.
You'll need to put this under your front seat, please. He handed me a note, and he kept looking at me.
And I just ignored him the first time he looked at me. And then he said, I want you to read the note.
It was printed, "Miss, I have a bomb in my briefcase. I want you to sit beside me."
This is no joke. There's a bomb in here. FLORENCE SCHAFFNER: I saw a big battery with six dynamite
sticks wrapped around the battery. And he said to me, all I have to do is attach this wire to this gadget here,
and we'll all be dead. And so began one of the most infamous crimes in US history.
To this day, no one knows the truth identity of the man who called himself DB Cooper,
or if he survived his daring parachute leap from 10,000 feet. This case remains the only unsolved skyjacking
in the world. You saw the bomb, so we know it's for real. DENNIS FARINA: Florence Schaffner went to the cockpit
to inform the crew about Cooper and his threat. Tina, he's the guy in the very back.
He's all dressed in black. FLORENCE SCHAFFNER: We were very, very scared to death.
All of us were. I was thinking about dying. That's all I thought. I was also thinking, I'll never see my parents,
my brothers and sisters. Scotty, do we call headquarters? Yes, Melville. Go ahead.
DENNIS FARINA: The flight crew immediately notified air traffic control about the hijacking.
305. We have a hijack in progress. DENNIS FARINA: They, in turn, contacted the FBI.
OK, I gave the captain your demands. Did you tell him $200,000 cash, small bills?
Yes, I told him small bills. Four parachutes. RALPH HIMMELSBACK: He wanted $200,000 in cash in a knapsack
and four parachutes. And he specified that the airliner remain in the air until the money and the parachutes
were ready at Seattle. He also specified that the other passengers not be told that the airplane was being hijacked.
Can I get you something to drink? DENNIS FARINA: The flight crew proceeded as if nothing
was out of the ordinary. Drinks were served. Cooper ordered two bourbon and waters.
RALPH HIMMELSBACK: The FBI asked the airline what their approach to the hijacking was going to be.
That is, did they wish to pay the ransom? This is an option that the victim of an extortion has
rather than law enforcement. And they responded instantly they wish to pay the ransom.
And so the FBI at Seattle set about assisting and obtaining the money. DENNIS FARINA: Each bill was photographed,
and their serial numbers recorded. Cooper also insisted the plane be refueled immediately
once it landed in Seattle. No passengers were to be released until all of his demands were met.
Flight 305, Seattle, to come up. MAN (ON RADIO): There's been [inaudible] the money
[inaudible]. RALPH HIMMELSBACK: The hijacker instructed that they land, but that they stay on the runway rather than to taxi
up to the terminal. [inaudible]. DENNIS FARINA: At 5:43 PM, Flight 305 landed at Seattle Airport.
The plane taxied in, and it was parked in a remote area of the field. RALPH HIMMELSBACK: The money and the parachutes
were brought by an FBI agent to the airplane. They were carried on board by the flight attendant.
There were 10,000 $20 bills assembled in straps of 100 bills to a strap and individual straps held
together with rubber bands. The money alone, just the currency, was 21 pounds. DENNIS FARINA: Four parachutes were delivered.
Both the flight crew and the FBI were worried that Cooper would use the extra chutes
to take hostages with him. The passengers on board were completely unaware of the drama
surrounding them. RALPH HIMMELSBACK: During the time the airliner was on the ground at Seattle,
there were FBI agents with scope rifles who were prepared if any indications were present that
required it to pick him off. FLORENCE SCHAFFNER: He was very, very uptight, suspicious.
He said to us to pull down the shade. DENNIS FARINA: Finally, the passengers were allowed to deplane.
Bu Cooper demanded that the flight crew and one attendant stay onboard. The co-pilot said, you better get the hell out now.
So I left without Tina. And that's when he decided to keep her because he was getting
suspicious at everything. DENNIS FARINA: The passengers were met by FBI agents. It was only then that they realized that the plane
had been hijacked. Their lives had been in mortal danger. When debriefed, they can remember nothing about the man
with the briefcase. Cooper ordered the pilot to fly from Seattle all the way to Mexico City at a height of only 10,000 feet
and a speed of only 200 miles an hour. He agreed to refuel in Reno, Nevada. He then made an unusual request.
--15 degrees on your flaps, and I want the back stairwell down. MAN (ON RADIO): Well, we're checking with the company.
RALPH HIMMELSBACK: And the pilot explained that he wasn't able to take off with that door open,
and they argued back and forth. And finally, the pilot said he just couldn't fly the airplane
and wasn't going to try, and the hijacker consented for the door to be closed for takeoff, which it was.
DENNIS FARINA: At 737, Flight 305 took off. The Seattle control tower alerted all other aircraft
to remain clear. Cooper's 727 had the sky to itself. And then, a storm front was directly
in the plane's flight path. I want you to get up there with your fly board. I don't want to see you again.
RALPH HIMMELSBACK: He told her to go back into the cockpit and to close the curtain between the coach
and the first class cabin. As she turned around to close the curtains, she said she saw him tying something to his waist
with what she thought was rope. Later in the cockpit, the light flashed indicating that the hijacker was attempting to operate the door.
At 8:12, the pilot told us that they were experiencing a rapid change in the air pressure reflected
in an an popping experience. DENNIS FARINA: Somewhere over the forests of Washington
State, Cooper jumped. He hasn't been seen since. Next, the debate continues. Did DB Cooper survive his daring scheme?
On Thanksgiving Eve, 1971, a man wearing a parachute jumped out of a 727 with $200,000.
He left no fingerprints, no personal items, and no clue to his identity. He said his name was DB Cooper, and nobody has seen him since.
Upon landing in Reno, Nevada, every inch of the 727 was examined for clues as to who DB Cooper really was.
The flight attendants who had seen Cooper up close helped create a composite drawing of his face.
Flight 305 flew along this path on its way to Reno. The crew felt that Cooper had jumped
somewhere near the southern tip of Washington state. It was believed Cooper would be found
in this area bordered by Lake Merwin, And ending 20 miles north of Portland. No matter where Cooper landed, Frank Heyl believes
he could have survived. Let's say he went down in the water. You've got to know how to manage that parachute.
You can use it for some flotation. Now his life expectancy is not going to be very long in that water.
It's cold, and you have to think of the time of the year it was in, so he had probably a very, very
few minutes to get on shore. But I think he could have done this. DENNIS FARINA: A large white object was
seen floating in Lake Merwin. But divers found nothing. My feeling is he would have been hurt regardless
of what he landed into. I think that Cooper most likely crawled to a creek. He didn't have any water supplies,
didn't bring any along with him, and he would have had to have water to survive.
So I assume he made his way to a little creek and perished there. DENNIS FARINA: Some feel that Cooper could never
have survived in that rugged terrain dressed only in a business suit. FRANK HEYL: We don't know what he wore under the suit.
He could have had a pair a long underwear on, which he certainly should have had.
And what he had in his pockets may have been the most important thing, because this would've given him the tools of survival.
As long as a man's got a knife, a cigarette lighter, and the clothes on his back, he could
have lived indefinitely after. He could do it. It's possible. I think he buried the chute.
I think he probably buried the brief case. He got rid of that. I think he probably put the money in his coat,
and I think he headed for a big city someplace and lost himself. DENNIS FARINA: The search for DB Cooper
continued with no new clues. Then, seven years later, a hunter deep in the Washington forest discovered
a plastic sign from a 727. It had been ripped from the lower stairwell of Flight 305.
15 months later, an even more dramatic discovery was made. February 10, 1980. A family was preparing a barbecue on the shore
of the Columbia River. It was 20 miles southwest of Cooper's supposed jump point.
They planned on digging a fire pit, but dug up something else. The bills, totaling $5,880, were waterlogged and deteriorated.
RALPH HIMMELSBACK: And there were 294 bills found. And all of those serial numbers are on the ransom list,
so that money is definitely, positively identified as having come from that particular ransom money.
They did not find $200,000. Where's the rest of the money. That's what I want to know.
He risked his life to hijack the airliner. He didn't get to spend the money. He may have lost his life.
I don't know that he lost his life, but I think there's a very good chance that he did.
None of the money, not one bill, has ever turned up in circulation. DENNIS FARINA: Many believe that DB Cooper survived,
and some think he may have struck again. Only five months after Cooper's flight,
a half a million dollars was extorted by another hijacker. He was a former Green Beret, and his name was Richard McCoy.
He was sentenced to 45 years for air piracy, but he escaped, and he was killed in a gun battle
with the FBI. Due to the resemblance between their pictures, some believe that DB Cooper and Richard McCoy are the same man.
But flight attendant Florence Schaffner believes that a recent composite of Cooper may be inaccurate.
FLORENCE SCHAFFNER: The composite never really looked like him. The hair does not look like him.
The face does not look like him. DENNIS FARINA: Florence worked with Milan Coleman,
a forensic artist from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Together, they created a new portrait of DB Cooper.
FLORENCE SCHAFFNER: It's still strong in my mind. I remember everything-- the color of his eyes,
the color his eyebrows, and his features. What do you think? DENNIS FARINA: Florence is convinced
that this is the sky jacker, and that he is still at large. [beeping] Who was DB Cooper?
Did he survive? And if not, where is his body and the remaining $194,000? We may never know the truth.
Coming up. A girl's childhood friend turns into a rampaging killer. [screaming] And later, have a seat in the chair of death.
would Woodstock, Illinois. In the early morning hours, a man slipped into the home of Ray and Ruth
Ann Ritter intent on murder. He brutally stabbed three family members, then turned
on 17-year-old Colleen Ritter. His name was Richard Church, and Colleen was his high school sweetheart.
Colleen began to date Richard Church when they were students at a small Catholic high school.
It seemed like a good match. But no one knew just how far Richard would go to avenge a broken heart.
- How are you? - Good. How are you? Good. How was school? COLLEEN RITTER: I first started dating
Rick when I was a sophomore. At that point he was a senior. I think I did OK on my test.
Yeah? Rick was really good-looking. He was involved in sports activities. He was real quiet, though.
He had a lot of friends, but he was real quiet. I know. It's not a fun position to be in.
DENNIS FARINA: The year after Collen and Rick began dating, he went away to college.
For her, the romance began to cool. [phone ringing] Rick had a hard time accepting that the relationship
might be over. - Hello? Hey, Colleen, it's me. DENNIS FARINA: He called Colleen nearly
every night, upset and on edge. I really haven't studied much-- I-- I have to go.
I just called to talk to you for a second. COLLEEN ACTRESS: But you never have anything to say.
That's not true. DENNIS FARINA: By the time Rick came home for the summer, Colleen had reached a decision.
I think we should see other people. I'm not good enough for you? COLLEEN RITTER: I still wanted to be friends.
We had known each other, you know, practically all our lives. And I did consider him a good friend.
[door slamming] So I thought maybe this just wasn't-- it was like a friendship trying to turn into a romance, and it
just didn't-- didn't cut it. DENNIS FARINA: Two months later, Colleen had a friend sleeping over, as did her brother, Matthew.
We got [inaudible] friend of mine. DENNIS FARINA: Then Rick telephoned. [phone ringing]
He was upset because he wanted one last Saturday night with Colleen. Hello? RICK ACTOR: Colleen?
Hi. RICK ACTOR: What are you doing? Nothing. RICK ACTOR: I called earlier. Where were you?
I was out with some of my girlfriends. Where'd you go? COLLEEN RITTER: He was kind of depressed.
He sounded very depressed, very silent, really quiet, like he knew something he didn't want to tell me, or something.
And immediately, then I said, well, no, don't talk to me like-- if you're going to act like this,
I don't want to talk to you tonight. I'll just talk to you tomorrow then. He said, well, fine. He just hung up on me.
I don't know exactly how the fight started, but it ended up where he just hung up on me.
He hung up. DENNIS FARINA: Several hours later, about 5:15 AM, Rick Church entered the Ritter's house.
[crickets] Ray and Ruth Ann Ritter were asleep in their ground floor bedroom. By 5:25 AM, both parents were dead.
Upstairs, 11-year-old Matthew Ritter awoke. He was stabbed twice. [screaming] Colleen frantically dialed 911.
Rick broke into her room. She ran. Rick never spoke a word as he began to stab Colleen.
Help me! Help me! We had a cedar chest, and I was like, laying on the cedar chest, just pretending I was dead,
so he would stop, or just trying to do anything so he would stop. I was like, playing dead.
I told him, I just yelled out "I love you," so I thought maybe he would stop. Help me!
Help me! DENNIS FARINA: Rick chased Colleen onto the front lawn and continued his attack.
[screaming] He ran off when two neighbors came to Colleen's aid. [screaming] Inside the house, young Matthew managed to call 911
and gave his address to the operator. The police arrived almost immediately. Police found Matthew bloody and in shock.
He was huddled with his friend, who was unharmed. Colleen's girlfriend also escaped injury.
Downstairs, they found the bodies of Colleen and Matthew's parents. Meanwhile, Rick Church had run the 12 blocks to his home
and was packing his things. At 5:45 AM, Rick took his mother's truck and vanished.
He was not a criminal, or somebody that's hanging out on street or anything like that.
This was a kid who had been going to school here all his life, and knew a lot of people,
and had a lot of friends, and went onto college, and then all of a sudden, was accused of a crime like this.
And I would think it would be totally out of character for somebody like this. And I really don't know today yet what
the motive might have been. Speculation is the breakup, boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
At the hospital, police put Colleen Ritter and her brother Matthew under a 24 hour guard in case Rick Church showed up.
Again Matthew Ritter was treated and released the next day, but Colleen was critically injured
with more than 20 stab wounds, most of them in the back of her head. Some of Colleen's doctors feared that she
would be permanently blind or suffer irreversible brain damage. Two days later, while Colleen was still in intensive care,
her parents were buried. The hardest part throughout all of this was, I guess, not having my parents there.
That's real hard. That's two of your best friends , and they're gone. So that's hard.
And not being able to say goodbye because I wasn't at their funeral, that was hard.
So I did that in my own way. And I still am. DENNIS FARINA: Update. Three years after the crime, Richard Church was arrested.
Church was working behind the counter of a fast food restaurant when he was spotted by a Salt
Lake City police officer. The following day, the FBI closed in and took him into custody.
Church agreed to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. He is now serving a life sentence at an Illinois prison.
Coming up. A con man suspected of bilking millions from his victims is captured by police, and is once again on the run.
And later, a woman vanishes, and her boyfriend offers three different explanations.
On a previous show, we told you about Earl and Donna Chotvacs, a young couple whose dream of building a house on this site,
200 miles north of Denver, became the ultimate home builders' nightmare. They hired a builder named Mark Mitchell, whose
specialty was log cabin homes. A contract was drawn up, and Earl and Mitchell a $25,000
deposit, their entire life savings. Then, they waited. Weeks stretched into months.
Nothing happened. Every time they questioned Mitchell, he had an excuse. They waited and waited for another six months.
And then their banker turned up disturbing information about Mark Mitchell. Well, I'm afraid the news isn't good.
DENNIS FARINA: His real name was Wade Mitchell Parker, and they weren't the first victim's to be defrauded.
At that point, I felt nauseous. Suddenly, just was sick, feeling as though we were going to lose all the money that we
had given to Mark Mitchell. DENNIS FARINA: Wade Mitchell Parker, alias Mark Mitchell,
left town soon after. He allegedly disappeared with more than $1 million he collected from at least 30 other fraud victims.
Some 1,300 miles from Colorado, Wade Mitchell Parker was arrested in Cobb County, Georgia.
There, Parker was using two new aliases, Ronald Anderson and Larry Wheeler. Wade Mitchell Parker was arraigned in Colorado
on fraud and theft charges. While out on bail, he failed to show up for a scheduled court date.
Parker is once again a wanted fugitive, charged with securities fraud and theft.
Update. Since we broadcast this case, and after years on the run, Wade Mitchell Parker has been captured.
He served his time and has been released. In the English village of Thirsk, mounted on the wall of the town's cluttered museum
hangs an antique chair. But it's not on display for its rarity. The locals claim that this chair is
cursed with an astonishing and lethal power. It all started in 1702 Thomas Busby, a murderer on his way
to the gallows, was granted a last wish, a pint of ale in his favorite chair at his favorite pub.
When he finished, the condemned man pointed to the chair and proclaimed, may sudden death come to anyone
who dares sit in my chair. Thomas Busby's curse has echoed down the centuries, proving
its power over and over again. At least, that's how the locals tell it. After he was hanged, this chair remained in the pub,
and people were dared to sit in it. But gradually, it became noticed that they were coming to a sticky end afterwards, or very shortly
afterwards. DENNIS FARINA: Nobody knows really exactly how many victims the chair has claimed since Thomas
Busby met his maker. But the legend gained a great deal of notoriety during World War II.
Airmen at a nearby base made the pub a hot spot and the chair a hot seat. People started noticing those who sat didn't come back.
Well, until I came here, I didn't believe in curses. But now I have mixed feelings after hearing
some things about this chair. The only way I would sit in the chair if my doctor told me I've
only got 12 hours to live. A great many people take it very seriously. I'm not a superstitious man, but I wouldn't sit in it.
[inaudible] Busby's chair. What do you think? DENNIS FARINA: 1967. 300 years after Busby drank his last pint,
a pair of Royal Air Force pilots downed a few too many pints of their own. - How's that feel, sir? - Very nice.
My heart is still ticking a bit. You feel all right? I feel pretty damn good, I tell you.
Sit right down in there. Oh, it's not bad at all. It's not bad at all. It's a bit tingly.
It is tingly. DENNIS FARINA: That tingly feeling didn't last long. The pilots were about to be grounded for good.
The chair was no longer known merely as Busby's chair. Now it was the chair of death.
A few years later, two bricklayers working nearby took a lunch break at the pub.
Are you feeling lucky today? DENNIS FARINA: Despite DENNIS FARINA: The sinister reputation, they couldn't resist the dare.
Isn't that right fellows? DENNIS FARINA: That afternoon, Busby's curse struck again.
[inaudible]. All right then. All right. [applause] Well done. [shouting] DENNIS FARINA: According to the legend,
the chair has never taken a day off. Anyone who warned this wooden bottom died swiftly.
A workman who tempted the chair fell to his death when the roof he was working on collapsed.
A cleaning woman stumbled into the chair while mopping, and soon after, a brain tumor killed her.
Finally, for safety's sake, the pub owner moved the chair into the basement and out of harm's way,
or so he thought. Well, don't sit in it. I can tell you more than one or two stories about people
who've met a premature death. Do you believe in that sort-- DENNIS FARINA: Within the hour, the delivery
man's delivery days were over. That was the last straw. There was only one safe place for the chair,
the local museum. And to make sure no one would sit in Busby's chair again, they hung it on the wall, 5 feet off the ground.
While its killing days may be over, people still continue to come forward with more
tales of the Chair of Death. The strangest one was just a couple of months ago, a fellow around the-- a retired man from
Darby who'd been stationed on the Air Force Base during the war. And he was a member of the RAF band.
And they used to play functions in Thirsk and travel there by truck. On the way back one night, they picked
up two air men who were walking home from a night out in town. And one of these air man wanted to use a toilet,
so they stopped here at the Busby stoop. While waiting for the airman, the driver
of the truck, all unknowing, sat in Busby's chair. When the airman didn't return, the driver
left the pub without him. The abandoned airman had to make his own way back to the base.
When he got there, he got a building brick and smashed the head of this driver and killed him.
DENNIS FARINA: These days, the chair is never taken down, not even for cleaning.
This is just in case anyone is daring enough to test the curse once more. Whether legend, superstition, or curse,
there's really only one question regarding the chair that truly matters. Would you sit in it?
The power of the chair has been hung up with it, and I wouldn't advise anybody to take it down and sit on it now.
Because it does seem that those who challenge the power of the chair have been the quickest to succumb to it.
DENNIS FARINA: Coming up, a woman planning to sail around the world vanishes and is never seen again.
When Colleen Wood moved from Dayton, Ohio to Boca Raton, Florida it was the culmination of a lifelong dream.
Colleen had a whirlwind romance with a former race car driver and Wall Street investor named John Paul.
Colleen vanished without a trace, and she's never been seen or heard from again.
MICHAEL TANDARICH: My mother met John Paul through a personal ad looking for a sailing companion.
She was impressed with his credentials. He said he had an MBA from Harvard. And in the racing circle, he was really famous.
Would you like to see the cabin? Sure. And he was also reputed to be wealthy due
to his success in ownership of a mutual fund company. DENNIS FARINA: Colleen and John fell madly in love.
They were inseparable. Here's to dreams. Here's to our dreams. What is it that you'd like to do
that you've never done before. Well, I've always thought it'd be pretty fun to sail around the world.
Well, why don't we do that? DENNIS FARINA: And they soon made plans to sail around the world on John's 55 foot schooner,
"The Island Girl." Colleen sold her condo and gave the profit to John to invest, $43,000.
She moved in with him aboard "The Island Girl," and then quit her job. I'm going to the hardware store.
Do you need anything? - Yeah. Would you get some t-coil? Sure. Thanks. I was very, very shocked when Colleen
told me that she was leaving. I personally was very concerned about her selling all of her assets to take this trip.
Yeah, in a minute. I got to call Mike before I forget about it. DENNIS FARINA: On December 3rd, Collen placed a call to her son
in Ohio. - Hello? Hey, hi. DENNIS FARINA: She told Mike that "The Island Girl" was
setting sail in a few weeks, and that she would be in touch soon. According to Maureen Canada, she spoke
to Colleen about 10 days later to invite her to the office Christmas party. MAUREEN CANADA: I called her cell phone number.
And she happened to be in Key West at a bar with John Paul. She sounded fine. She sounded like she was having a good time.
Great. So you can make the party? COLLEEN: I wouldn't miss it for the world. All right. I'll see you Tuesday.
Bye. MAUREEN CANADA: Tuesday, the party came and went, and she didn't show up. But I just assumed that something happened where there
was possibly rough seas, and they couldn't make it back on the boat. She didn't call us for Christmas, Christmas Eve.
And after new year, everyone was really worried. Friends and family were asking, hey, haven't you heard?
Because we know she would have called. I tried to call her on her cell phone, and the account had been closed.
DENNIS FARINA: Michael immediately contacted the police in Florida. But there was no evidence of any crime.
Days turned into weeks and then months. Still, there was no sign of Colleen Wood.
We spent the best part of January and February going back and forth with the Coast
Guard and FCC just trying to in some way identify and locate this boat. DENNIS FARINA: Michael searched the internet
in hopes of finding an address or maybe a phone number for John Paul. What he did discover frightened him.
MICHAEL: I ran across an article that said that he had served time in prison, that he went to federal penitentiary
for approximately 15 years serving time for an attempted murder. I'm still thinking they're on a boat,
but I'm thinking she's on a boat with a killer, or a possible killer. DENNIS FARINA: Michael learned that Colleen's boyfriend was
the mastermind behind a drug smuggling ring in the early '80s, and he tried to kill his partners in crime.
Colleen met John Paul less than a year after he was paroled. Colleen's friends were certain that she knew
nothing about John Paul's past. Asked about her disappearance, John would eventually
give three different accounts of his relationship with Colleen that he says ended on the rocks.
Colleen's son Michael was able to track down John Paul's daughter. She told Michael that her father said that Colleen had become
upset over an incident involving one of John Paul's old girlfriends, and that Colleen ended the relationship.
When I heard that she had broken up in December I was panicked, completely panicked.
DENNIS FARINA: Three days later, John Paul called Michael with a second version of the story.
JOHN PAUL: It's John. I understand you wanted to talk to me. MICHAEL: He told me that they had an argument.
He said he didn't remember what it was about. But after the argument, she left the boat,
and then she came back with her football player boyfriend, she gathered all of her belongings,
and she left the boat. And he hasn't seen her since. I filed a missing person's report
immediately with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. DENNIS FARINA: Four months after Colleen was last heard from,
investigators turned up some suspicious activity on her credit card. In a two month period between mid-December to mid-February,
in excess of 80 transactions, cash advancements, totaling over $40,000 had occurred
on Colleen Wood's card. We were able to come up with good solid physical evidence
that not only did Colleen Wood not make any of the transactions, they were not made with her consent.
DENNIS FARINA: If it wasn't Colleen withdrawing the cash, then who was? The police were still investigating
and would only say that it was a woman, perhaps more than one. Also raising suspicions were two ads that
appeared in a local newspaper. They were purchased with Colleen's credit card. Both of the ads were ordered by a male.
The first ad that ran in early December was in the Help Wanted section looking for a first mate on the boat.
The second ad that ran mid-December was in the Romance Male Seeking Female section.
DENNIS FARINA: Had the ads been placed by John Paul? Detectives weren't sure. They did know the second ad began running on December 26,
about the same time Maureen Canada spoke to Colleen by phone. According to Maureen, Colleen told her
that she was partying with John in Key West, and that everything was fine. Police finally tracked down John Paul, and according to them,
he offered a third version of his breakup with Colleen. Excuse me. Are you John Paul, Senior?
Yes. I'd like to ask you a few questions about Colleen Wood. Sure. How can I help you?
Have you heard from her labor lately? Well, no. I can't help you there. I haven't seen her--
DETECTIVE: John Paul said that in mid-December, he and Colleen had a large fight over money, that Colleen
Wood owed him money and had made no effort to repay him. Then she left. But DENNIS FARINA: The alleged inconsistencies weren't all
that troubled the detectives. - --you know? To get her stuff. DETECTIVE: My partner and I both noticed that he was becoming
increasingly more nervous. I found it unusual that he seemed to have so little concern over a woman
that he lived with, that he loved. I haven't seen her since, you know? Just a very unusual interview.
Very little compassion shown on his part. Well, if you can think of anything else
that may help us out, we'd appreciate it if you'd give us a call. Of course. DENNIS FARINA: Despite the allegations,
suspicious behavior, and the inconsistent stories, there is no solid evidence to indicate he had anything
to do with her disappearance. In fact, John Paul, may have no knowledge whatsoever about the mystery surrounding Colleen Wood.
He has not been named a suspect in the case. We have no body, no physical evidence, to show
us what happened to Colleen. But I can tell you it's not good. I don't believe Colleen Wood is with us anymore.
I know she's gone. It's scary to know that something like this could happen to someone who's so close to you.
You think it happens to everybody else. But you know what? I'm everybody else. We need to find out what happened.
We need to know if indeed he's responsible for the death of my mother. I really want to see justice served.
DENNIS FARINA: John Paul has apparently left town, violating the terms of his parole.
Detectives would like to find him to question him again about the disappearance of Colleen Wood.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Colleen Wood or any of the other cases featured on the program,
log onto unsolved.com. [theme music]

Brief Summary

This episode covers DB Cooper's hijacking, a deadly chair legend, a teen's attack by an ex, and a woman's mysterious disappearance in Florida.

Key points

The Infamous DB Cooper. DB Cooper hijacks a plane, demands ransom, and jumps out with $200,000.
The Mysterious Jump. DB Cooper jumps from the plane and vanishes without a trace.
The Discovery of Money. Years later, a family finds waterlogged cash linked to DB Cooper's ransom.
The Curse of Busby's Chair. An antique chair in Thirsk is said to be cursed, claiming lives of those who dare sit in it.
Colleen Wood's Mysterious Disappearance. Colleen Wood vanished after planning to sail around the world with her boyfriend, John Paul.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is no joke. There's a bomb in here.

DB Cooper reveals his threat to the flight attendant.

3:07WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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