Can Josh Gates Locate John Dillinger’s Missing Fortune? | Expedition Unknown

The Biograph Theater, July 22nd, 1934.
Dillinger’s out for a night on the Town and he takes in a picture show.
But the FBI has been tipped off, and when he exits the building, they make their move.
This alley right in this spot is where Public enemy number one met his end today, memorialized by a mural.
The authorities found a mere $7.70 in Dillinger’s pocket, which means there is a fortune in bonds and cash still unaccounted for.
So where did it go?
Well, we’re headed north to find out.

Hey. Long time no see.
Hey, Josh, what’s going on, man?
How are you?
Hey, I’m Josh.
Hey, Josh.
Dan, Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too.
So, Josh, this is Dan Johns, Junior.
His folks, Dan and Debbie Johns actually own Little Bohemia.
This is a place that looms large in the Dillinger story.
Very much.
So, very much. We’re pretty far from Mooresville.
Why up here for that very reason.
It’s remote. This is way off the beaten path for where the Dillinger gang was running.
A rogue’s gallery of Dillinger Associates made the trek to Little Bohemia, including Babyface Nelson, John Red Hamilton and gangster groupies.
The press dubbed gun Mauls.
But ultimately, he doesn’t lay low because things go bad up here, right?
Things go real bad up here.
How does it go bad?
Well, if you want to come inside, I can show you.
You can show me.
Yep.
Lead hot. Yeah. Inside the historic lodge is like a time capsule.
Here we have some of the things that the gang left behind because they had left in a pretty big hurry.
These are original items.
They are.
Oh, come on.
So this is one of the gang members’ toiletry kits, complete with Ex-Lax.
Look at that. They were smooth criminals.
I’m sorry.
And this one’s even still packed.
Oh, wow.
Wow. These are their clothes.
They are. Wow.
This is. This is mind-melting to see original clothing and items from the gang.
Now, all this stuff is here because the gang ended up hightailing it out of here.
Right. So what happens?
The FBI raided this place.
Was actually the owner’s wife that tipped him off.
With Dillinger and his gang becoming feared national celebrities, the locals here get nervous and tip off the FBI.
Desperate to collar Dillinger, the bureau rushes to Little Bohemia.
Their intelligence is that the gang is about to leave imminently.
When they roll up, there are three people leaving a quick decision was made and they opened fire on the car.
Tragically, it was three civilians and one of them was killed.
Wow.
Alerted by the sound of gunfire and barking dogs, Dillinger slips out a back window.
In the chaotic events that follow, an FBI agent is gunned down.
Take a look here, Josh, Some of the original bullet holes are in the window behind us.
This is from the gunfight.
Correct?
It is. They are all shot up.
Look at these. Oh, man.
This lodge was just getting hammered.
Yes. Wow.
Yeah.
And the FBI gets none of them.
None of them. They all get away.
Over and over again.
Dillinger gets out of situations.
He has no right to survive.
Exactly right. He’s the jackrabbit.
So he leaves everything behind, right?
Including the loot. They didn’t take it with him.
Well, what we know is there’s a statement from gang member John Hamilton’s girlfriend.
Her name was Pat Harrington.
She told a reporter that there was a suitcase buried here with a large amount of cash in it.
They were here for several days, so they had plenty of time to do this.
This is more than a rumor.
It is. There’s actually this statement from an eyewitness.
Also, we know that the gang escaped toward the lake.
Right. So if they had something that they wanted to get rid of, it’s better that the lake gets it than the cops get it, right?
So either on land or in the water, we decide to start our search in Little Star Lake, directly behind the lodge.

Until recently, the lake was covered in ice, so we called in reinforcements.
What’s going on, Josh?
You remember these guys?
Oh, yes. I have PTSD from these guys.
What’s going on? Good to see you.
Dan Carlson is an ice diving expert.
And as far as I’m concerned, a sadist.
We nearly froze to death looking for a lost pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Dan’s terrific dive team.
And ROV pilots Dave Phillips and Tom Crossman are the best in the business.
And now we’re ready to brave another frigid lake.
Weather’s a lot nicer today.
Yes, it’s warmer here.
The water, though, ice was on here two days ago.
So I didn’t catch too much of a break.
To avoid hypothermia, we bundle up in dry suits while Tom, Dave, and Stewart set up an ROV equipped with sonar to help guide us to potential targets.
We’re also armed with metal detectors as we make the long, cold walk off the end of a short pier.
Follow me right behind you.
Gosh. Stuart, come in.
Josh, go for Stewart.
We’re on the bottom and beginning our search.
Real cold down here.
Visibilities maybe a couple of feet at best.
I think it’s going to be pretty slow going.
We’re just going to do what we can see.
Josh, I’ve got something here.
What do you got? It looked like an old oarlock from a rowboat.
That’s definitely old because it was sunk pretty deep.
I’d like to think this is the Dillinger gang throwing their loot out here.
But the truth is, we have no idea when this is from.
With just four feet of visibility, we’re operating almost in the blind.
So the sonar acts as our eyes.
Hey, we got something right there.
See it? Hey, Josh, we’ve got a really good hit.
It’s about 30 feet from you. Maybe you’re 1:00.
Copy that. What is it?
Can’t tell, but it is really interesting.
It’s got a unique shape to it.
Okay, we’ll come over.
Dillinger is said to have chucked a container filled with cash into the drink.
That is clearly manmade.
At this man.
Check this out. It looked like a drum.
Definitely manmade.
Some kind of canister.
And we’re just getting in place with the ROV.
I can see it. Huge.
It does. It looked exactly like some kind of canister.
Incredible, guys, it looks intact.
Look at that. Check this out.
And what it looks like a drum.
Definitely manmade, some kind of canister.
Incredible. Guys, it looks intact.
Is there a lid on it? Do you get into it?
It feels really solid.
Let me see if we can move it.
Standby.
And heavy as hell.
The bottom side here almost feels like concrete.
That’s what it looks like.
Josh, what is it?
I think the core of this is concrete because that rebar.
It looks like it used to be a loop.
I think that rebar is for a rope or something.
All right. I hate to break this to you.
I think we might be looking at a big, boring way.
Yeah, it’s starting to look like that.
All right, Dan, let’s keep searching.
We continue to scour the bottom until we’ve covered the entire shoreline along Little Bohemia Lodge.
So I think if there is loot up here somewhere, I feel pretty confident saying it’s not out in the water.
That’s what it looks like.