Meet Robert Rackstraw, one of the prime suspects who was believed to be plane hijacker DB Cooper. This article covers information related to his wife, his age at the time of his death, and some interesting facts related to his life.
Keep on scrolling to learn more about him.
Meet Robert Rackstraw, One Of The DB Cooper Suspects
Other than Sheridan Peterson, Robert Rackstraw was believed to be the elusive D.B. Cooper. Netflix’s D.B. Cooper: Where Are You? Bring viewers the investigation that went into trying to reveal the identity of the real D.B. Cooper and the prime suspects in the case.
Although his past is somewhat hazy, it has been established that he was an Army pilot, as Cooper’s profilers had suggested. Although he was released from the Army in 1971, five months before the plane jacking, Robert also had prior ties to the CIA.
Robert had tried to fake his own death when that scheme was exposed. Although he was excluded from official inquiries in 1979, Robert became the main suspect of detectives Thomas J. Colbert and Tom Szollosi, who later published a book in 2016 titled The Last Master Outlaw naming him DB Cooper.
Later, Robert was quoted as saying that the probe cost him his job. The plane stewardesses who had frequent interactions with Cooper claimed they had the wrong person when given a picture of him. Furthermore, he was far younger than the “approximate 40-year-old” who was mentioned which led to his dismissal as a suspect.
Robert went to his grave denying that he was the infamous skyjacker despite being pursued by investigators who had identified him as the most likely DB Cooper suspect and even being offered $20,000 upfront if he admitted it. His boat, Poverty Sucks, and he spent the latter years of his life in San Diego, California.
DB Cooper, who is famous for hijacking a flight from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, is said to have jumped from the aircraft with $200,000 in cash. Despite searching for the criminal and his body for hundreds of hours, authorities were never able to discover him. The hijacking has perplexed both official and unofficial investigators for decades and is the longest-unsolved case of its sort in FBI history. Despite the FBI closing the case in 2016, rumors about Cooper’s identity have persisted.
Before this, he was featured in a 2016 History Channel documentary about the notorious criminal.
Robert Rackstraw Cause Of Death
According to San Diego Union-Tribune, Robert Rackstraw’s cause of death was a “long-standing heart condition”. He was pronounced dead at home in the early hours of July 9.
Robert Rackstraw Age At The Time Of His Death
Robert Rackstraw, at the time of his death, was 75 years old.
What Do We Know About Robert Rackstraw Family?
Robert Rackstraw was born to his family in Franklin County, Ohio. He was born to his parents Philip George Rackstraw and Lucille Lillian Rackstraw.
Philip was born on 1 August 1927 in Santa Clara County, California. He died on 9 February 1978 in California at the age of 50. Philip was the son of Sydney Rackstraw and Rose Wood Rackstraw. Meanwhile, he had two siblings; William Rackstraw and Betty Jane Rackstraw Nikolaus.
Meanwhile, Lucille was one of the five children born to William T Reese and Theressa Maude Wolfe Reese. She had three sisters; Goldie Corrine Georgia, Evelyn Theressa Reese Boud, and Deretta Pauline Reese Cooper, and one brother Thomas Leonard Reese.
Robert had one sister named Linda Lee Rackstraw Loduca. She was born on 27 May 1947 and died at the age of 66 in August 2013. He and his sister grew up in a “very poor family” in a two-bedroom house on a creek in Scotts Valley in the 1960s.
Robert Rackstraw Wife
Robert Rackstraw married three times in his life. There isn’t much about his first wife. He married his second wife Linda Kunkel in 1974. They were only married for about two years, but during that time, Linda experienced a tornado of emotions that caused her to become more watchful of her husband. The union was Rackstraw’s second, and Linda also took her two children from a previous marriage into the spotlight.
Because Robert claimed to care about her children and was undoubtedly a lot more adventurous than her prior partnerships, it worked out well for her.
She observed that Robert lacked a proper job but she never inquired about his source of income. He frequently took her on adventures and to various locations. For a while, everything was fine, but then Kunkel began to notice some considerably strange aspects about him. She was drawn to the items in his briefcase, which he always had on him when he left the house.
She snuck a peek inside one day and found a toupee and a fake mustache inside. He admitted that the toupee was there to cover up his baldness when she confronted him about it. It’s interesting that he avoided commenting on the mustache. She was unaware at the time, but this was a sign that he was engaging in illegal activity.
Linda didn’t learn about Robert’s forgery of her signature until long later when he had already acquired a San Jose print business for himself. They divorced in 1977 because their marriage had already fallen apart by that point.
She was previously Linda McGarity, and in Santa Clara, she wed Robert Rackstraw. It was confirmed that the pair had resided in California when she revealed that he had opened a print company in San Jose. In the Netflix documentary series, Linda makes an appearance, but the focus is primarily on Rackstraw, who may have been her second spouse. Given that their marriage was brief, there is a significant chance that Linda tried to love again and started a family with another guy.
At the time of his death, Robert Rackstraw was married to his third wife Dorothy.
Robert Rackstraw Job
Robert Rackstraw served in the U.S. Army as a helicopter pilot and is a former Vietnam War veteran trained in explosives and psychological operations. He also worked as a pilot for hire in pre-revolution Iran and served more than a year in prison for stealing a plane and passing bad checks.
He had also received considerable paratrooper training. The investigating team also thought that throughout his service in Vietnam, Robert was one of the “most appreciated” pilots. Rackstraw completed a 15-month tour in Vietnam in 1970 with 50 decorations, including dozens of air medals.
In the 1960s, Scott Valley’s Mercury News reported that Robert was reared in a “very poor family” that occupied a two-bedroom home close to a creek.
Robert was supposedly a high school dropout who fabricated his college transcripts and “lied” about his awards and rank, which led to his forced resignation from the army. Rackstraw was missing from his ex-wife and kids in Stockton at the time of the hijacking.
Related FAQs
-
When Was Robert Rackstraw Born?
Robert Rackstarw was born on 16 October 1943.
-
Where Was Robert Rackstraw Born?
Robert Rackstarw was born in Colombus, Ohio.
-
Where Was Robert Rackstraw Living At The Time Of His Death?
At the time of his death, Robert Rackstraw was living at his Bankers Hill condominium.
1 Comment