Viswa Vanapalli
In November 1971, a man pulled off a daring skyjacking on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington. Famously only known as D.B. Cooper, he asked for $200,000 in ransom and then jumped off the plane mid-air, seemingly vanishing after that. Netflix’s ‘D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!’ delves into this case and author Tom Colbert‘s mission to discover Cooper’s real identity. Over time, he became convinced that Robert Rackstraw was the hijacker and tried to uncover evidence supporting the same. During that process, Tom even spoke with Linda Loduca, Bob’s only sister. So, if you’re wondering what happened to her since then, here’s what we know.
Who Was Linda Loduca?
In July 2013, Linda Lee Loduca was interviewed by Tom, and she provided some great insight into Bob’s early life. She mentioned her brother being interested in airplanes from a young age, making model planes that the kids his age were into. As a teenager, Linda remembered him being playful, but he also got into trouble with their parents once. According to Linda, Bob pulled the trigger of an empty BB gun, hurting her in the process.
Eventually, Bob joined the military, and Linda felt he did so because he was looking for structure. Apart from that, Bob was also interested in guns. However, he was discharged from the military later on. As per the show, Bob had falsified some of his military records and had been disciplined in the past for domestic violence. Linda later stated that her brother told her he was working for a real estate firm in Los Angeles, California, after that. Bob claimed to be selling remote lands in Oregon that required him “to fly prospect there to see the land.”
Linda had also learned of an angry letter that Bob had written to the military after getting kicked out. When the authorities visited her regarding Bob’s whereabouts during Thanksgiving in 1971, she realized they were looking at him as a suspect in the hijacking. In the interview, Linda mentioned that Bob went to his parents’ home in Valley Springs, California, and had asked his father not to tell anyone about him being there.
Later, when Bob was in prison, Linda remembered getting a call from him. At the time, she claimed that Bob alluded to getting tired from running all the time. At one point, he even called journalists and claimed to be Cooper. When asked to prove it, Bob mentioned his uncle Ed Cooper, who was a parachutist. When Linda was asked about this, she felt it was highly plausible.
How Did Linda Loduca Die?
Linda stated that she eventually cut off contact with Bob because she was fed up with his lying. Furthermore, Linda had to think about what was best for her daughter. She also agreed with one federal agent’s theory that Bob’s anger “was at least part of the motive for the hijacking of Northwest Flight 305.” About a month after the interview, in August 2013, Linda passed away from recurring cancer. She was surrounded by her daughter’s family.
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