The Thrasher case will be the subject of a new documentary series

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Nearly 40 years have passed since a plane carrying several hundred pounds of marijuana crashed in Carroll County.

And soon this story will receive new attention in a new documentary series.

Fancy Gap Mountain was shrouded in fog when the plane crashed on October 17, 1984.

One person was killed and the crash sparked an investigation that took surprising turns.

Author Ron Peterson wrote a popular book called “Chasing the Squirrel: the Pursuit of Notorious Drug Smuggler Wally Thrasher.”

“This really dynamic, flamboyant drug pilot who flew drugs, marijuana and other drugs from the Caribbean, Mexico and Colombia to Virginia in the '70s and '80s,” he said.

Los Angeles producer Doug Tower is currently completing a documentary series with Peterson's help. He has conducted 80 interviews.

“We've used the last three years to basically break new ground in the investigation and find clues that didn't exist 40 years ago. We've also been able to interview people who weren't willing to talk then and are willing to talk now,” Tower told WDBJ7.

Thrasher disappeared after the plane crash and was pronounced dead in Central America shortly afterward. But some people still ask, “Where's Wally?”, which happens to be the working title of the documentary.

When and where the broadcast will take place is still the subject of negotiations.

But October marks the 40th anniversary of the plane crash, and Tower thinks it would be a good time to revive this legendary story.

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