Sabotage: The Downing of Flight 629

FBI agents called Jack Graham in for an interview. During questioning, Graham seemed helpful to investigators and eager to find the cause of the explosion that killed his mother and claimed 43 other lives. He provided details of his own background including his criminal past. Though he could not be specific about the contents of his mother's luggage when she boarded the flight to Portland, Graham gave investigators a description of the bags. He was adamant when he said that his mother always packed her own bags whenever she went on a trip.

When the FBI later interviewed Graham's wife, Gloria, she said that her husband had bought his mother a Christmas present, which he wrapped himself. She assumed he gave it to Daisie just before she left on her trip, perhaps even at Stapleton. Gloria believed that the present was a special set of hand tools that Jack had mentioned a few days before. Gloria said she last saw the present on the morning of November 1 at home, just before Jack and his mother left for the airport. Over the next few days, local police and FBI agents continued to question family and friends of the Grahams and processed additional evidence at the crime scene.

When agents asked Graham about the Christmas present, he denied that he had ever purchased the tool kit. He said that he was thinking about buying it but couldn't find the exact one he wanted, so he bought nothing. Graham then told investigators that Gloria had a faulty memory and her statements to investigators could not be relied upon. He said that he would take a polygraph test if necessary and granted permission for agents to search his house. With consent to search, agents rushed over to Graham's home on Mississippi Avenue and began to rummage through his home, garage and car.

During the search, police found strands of wire similar to those recovered at the crash site. Inside Graham's bedroom, hidden away in a dresser drawer, agents found additional insurance policies on his mother's life totaling nearly $40,000. Again, he was listed as the sole beneficiary. Ironically, Graham did not know he could never have collected on any of those insurance policies. In order for the insurance to be valid, his mother had to sign the application. She never did and as a result, the policies were worthless.