Did Unsolved Mysteries feature Terry Lee Conner and Joseph William Dougherty? Conner and Dougherty met in Federal prison during the 1970s and between late 1982 and 1986 committed bank robberies throughout the United States. The modus operandi involved abducting bank executives and their family during the night.

^ Yep first episode ever way back in January of 1987. Both men were actually in custody before the show even aired.

Did Unsolved Mysteries feature Terry Lee Conner and Joseph William Dougherty? Conner and Dougherty met in Federal prison during the 1970s and between late 1982 and 1986 committed bank robberies throughout the United States. The modus operandi involved abducting bank executives and their family during the night.

They even did a recreation of them abducting a bank executive and his family in the UM segment.

Did the reenactment of Conner and Dougherty abducting a bank executive and his family involve Steve Thompson and his wife, Ellen? Thompson is a bank executive at Quail Creek Bank in Oklahoma City. They were abducted in December 1982 by the bank robbers. They participated in a reconstruction with New Dominion Pictures for The FBI Files.

Did the reenactment of Conner and Dougherty abducting a bank executive and his family involve Steve Thompson and his wife, Ellen? Thompson is a bank executive at Quail Creek Bank in Oklahoma City. They were abducted in December 1982 by the bank robbers. They participated in a reconstruction with New Dominion Pictures for The FBI Files.

No, the bank executive in the UM segment was named Ray Deering.

I plan on putting this segment on volume 10 btw.

Crystaldawn,

Did the segment mention the city or state Ray Deering resided in?

Crystaldawn,

Did the segment mention the city or state Ray Deering resided in?

He lived in Vancouver, Washington. I believe it happened in '84 or '85. They went to Ray Deering's house (he was Asst. VP of the bank btw) the night before on the pretense of looking at a car for sale. They took the Deering family at gunpoint (but never harmed them) and spent the night in their home. The next morning Conner and Dougherty dressed in suits and arrived at the bank with the Deering family. With Deering's assistance (out of fear for his family's safety of course) they were able to steal $250,000 from the bank and fled.

The epidose in which this case was featured is historical, since it was the very first episode of UM and it was the first and only hosted by "Perry Mason-Ironside".

Pretty intersting that the movie Bandits starring Bruce Willis was loosely based on these guys.



Real Name: Terry Lee Conner and Joseph Dougherty
Aliases: None Known
Wanted For: Armed Robbery, Abduction
Missing Since: 1986

CaseEditDetails: Terry Lee Conner and Joseph Dougherty are career criminals with lengthy police records of robberies, starting in 1985. While being transported to a courtroom in Oklahoma, Conner and Dougherty freed themselves from their handcuffs and ankle restraints using a key one of them snuck into the car. From there, they overpowered the agents and eventually handcuffed them to a tree. The two fled to Vancouver, Washington. While there, they kidnapped bank president Ray Deering and his family with the intention of robbing his bank in the summer of 1986. They were both placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on Special #1 hosted by Raymond Burr on January 20, 1987. The FBI Files profiled Conner and Dougherty. The 2001 movie Bandits was loosely based on Conner and Dougherty's bank heists.
Results: Captured. The men were found and arrested a few weeks before the show aired. Terry Lee Conner was arrested at a motel on December 9, 1986 in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is serving a life sentence. Joseph Dougherty was arrested at a laundromat on December 19, 1986 in Antioch, California. Oddly enough, agents were monitoring the laundromat looking for a different fugitive. However, they noticed Dougherty there and knew he was a wanted fugitive as well. Dougherty was returned to prison and he will not be eligible for parole until 2019.