I just walked into the room and they said the mystery is almost solved. FOX news. Looking for links now!

I just walked into the room and they said the mystery is almost solved. FOX news. Looking for links now!


http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Report-FBI-testing-strong-lead-in-D-B-Cooper-1666409.php


The FBI has what it calls "our most promising" lead to date for a suspect in the infamous 1971 D.B. Cooper case – the nation's only unsolved commercial airplane hijacking.

The name of a man not previously investigated was given to the FBI, and an item that belongs to him was sent for fingerprint work at the agency's Quantico, Va., forensic lab, agency spokeswoman Ayn Sandalo Dietrich told seattlepi.com Saturday.

A law enforcement colleague spoke with someone who may have a strong connection to Cooper, and that law enforcement staffer contacted the FBI, Sandalo Dietrich said.

"With any lead our first step is to assess how credible it is," said Sandalo Dietrich, spokeswoman for the FBI's Seattle office, where the Cooper evidence is kept. "Having this come through another law enforcement [agency], having looked it over when we got it – it seems pretty interesting."

Sandalo Dietrich, who was out of the office Saturday, did not have the date when the information was given to the FBI. She also didn't give specifics about the item, citing the ongoing investigation.

"It's back at our lab and we hope to compare it to partial fingerprints we got in the hijacking," Sandalo Dietrich told seattlepi.com. "It would be a real break if it came back."

However, agents are not sure if fingerprints can be pulled from the item.

The FBI has not released the suspect's name, age, hometown or possible criminal record. However, the item being sent to the forensic lab appears to be a significant step.

In 2007, agent Larry Carr solicited the public's help, saying that while the agency still viewed it as a criminal case, it was far from a priority. The agency continually gets requests to test DNA to either prove or disprove Cooper's identity, but rarely has done so, Carr said in 2007.

Because it's a partial DNA sample, agents said they can only compare it to other DNA samples and exclude suspects. Some people who have been sure Cooper was a relative have been told he was not.

"People become so focused, they want their details to fit," Carr said in 2007, adding the FBI has investigated nearly 1,000 suspects since November 1971.

The FBI obtained a partial DNA sample from the black JCPenney clip-on tie the man known as Cooper left on the plane. That, along with the parachute he discarded, his boarding pass with "DAN COOPER" written in red ink, and a few deteriorated bills remain at the FBI's Seattle office. Only a fraction of the $200,000 Cooper took that 1971 night was recovered.

In 1980, Brian Ingram found a portion of the money near the Columbia River, and the FBI returned most of those bills to him. Ingram has since auctioned some of them.

Sandalo Dietrich didn't say if agents believe the possible suspect is dead, though Carr and other agents have previously said they believed Cooper died the night he jumped, sinking into the earth with a parachute that didn't open properly. That would explain why he and most the money have never been found, they've said.

Agents have also said they believe Cooper – who gained the initials D.B. after confusion in a United Press International newsroom – wasn't a mastermind. He didn't ask for large bills, so he was given mostly 20s, which made the total bundle heavier and harder to carry.

Cooper also didn't recognize that the "X" on the backup parachute he used meant it was only for classroom demonstrations -- and sewn shut. The main chute Cooper used was packaged as a Navy-issue NB6.

"He jumped with the parachute I packed," former Issaquah sky-diving instructor Earl Cossey told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in March 2008. "But he obviously didn't know what he was doing."

Every year, the Ariel Store and Tavern on state Route 503, near where many believe Cooper landed, has a party in his honor on the anniversary of the jump.

The tavern is decorated with sketched mug shots, pictures and dozens of newspaper articles about the unsolved hijacking.

Many theories have been told there, including one in which Cooper was actually a woman and the recipient of the first sex change operation in Washington. One of owner Dona Elliott's most notable: A woman believed Cooper survived the jump, but didn't survive an encounter with Sasquatch in Washington's woods.



Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Report-FBI-testing-strong-lead-in-D-B-Cooper-1666409.php#ixzz1Tgb7IzkD

What the hell is happening with Unsolved Mysteries in 2011?

What the hell is happening with Unsolved Mysteries in 2011?

Alot of cases sure are getting solved this year, that's for sure. Gives us hope that even more unsolved cases will be solved.

Alot of cases sure are getting solved this year, that's for sure. Gives us hope that even more unsolved cases will be solved.

At this pace, I expect bigfoot to finally be captured by the end of 2011.

Awesome update. However I'm going to be cautiously optimistic about this. In all likelihood it won't pan out, but all it takes is one breakthrough.

Hmm, I was almost convinced it was that Christianson guy............

The DB Cooper case that has remainded unsolved for 40 years has been like a Vendetta with the FBI. They just can't seem to let it go can they?

To many people DB Cooper is like a sort of cult figure. He Hijacked a plane, for what? $250000? The money was insured, No one got hurt, he parachuted out of the rear of the plane and was never seen again. This case has baffled the FBI and many others since 1971. I would say the guy planned out his robbery with perfection. I hope it never gets solved. It's a great Mystery that will entertain many generations to come.

The DB Cooper case that has remainded unsolved for 40 years has been like a Vendetta with the FBI. They just can't seem to let it go can they?

To many people DB Cooper is like a sort of cult figure. He Hijacked a plane, for what? $250000? The money was insured, No one got hurt, he parachuted out of the rear of the plane and was never seen again. This case has baffled the FBI and many others since 1971. I would say the guy planned out his robbery with perfection. I hope it never gets solved. It's a great Mystery that will entertain many generations to come.

reputation and also deterrence.

solving cold cases ensures that no one is beyond the limit of the law. also it adds credence to fbi. again, its probably just a tip they dont spend that much on cold cases. i actuallythink this case will be solved.

i do not think he survived.

Just saw this on the morning news...wow! Would love to see it solved. One of the cases that I've enjoyed beyond UM, I recently watched a pretty neat documentary on the case (I think on the History Channel, but might've been something else). Like others have said, it seems like one of those marquee UM cases that might never be solved. I always assumed Cooper died in the fall...when I was still a lurker, I remember the discussion here on the parachute type was much more in depth than I saw on any documentary or UM! :lol:

I just read about the new lead on Yahoo. I hope it turns out to be something. I've always been fascinated with this case.

I don't want this to be solved. This is one case that I hope will remain an unsolved mystery. It's the stuff of legend, which is what I love about it and how I want it to remain. If that makes me wrong, I don't want to be right.

I don't want this to be solved. This is one case that I hope will remain an unsolved mystery. It's the stuff of legend, which is what I love about it and how I want it to remain. If that makes me wrong, I don't want to be right.

Yeah I actually expect there to be some mixed reviews if Cooper is still alive and is captured. On one hand he endangered the lives of many people in an attempt to extort money and obviously should be held accountable for his actions. On the other hand though the case is so legendary that I wonder on which side public opinion will fall on this one if indeed Cooper is still alive to answer for his crime.

Yeah I actually expect there to be some mixed reviews if Cooper is still alive and is captured. On one hand he endangered the lives of many people in an attempt to extort money and obviously should be held accountable for his actions. On the other hand though the case is so legendary that I wonder on which side public opinion will fall on this one if indeed Cooper is still alive to answer for his crime.

I wish the feds would concentrate their resources on some of the crooks responsible for the 2008 financial crisis instead. The damage done to people was a millionfold greater when compared to D.B. Cooper's crime. Of course, there is a strong possibilty that Cooper is dead.

At this pace, I expect bigfoot to finally be captured by the end of 2011.

I'm hoping it's the Mothman instead of bigfoot.

I'm hoping it's the Mothman instead of bigfoot.

Mulder and Scully already found the relatives of the Mothman, in Leon County, Florida. :p The Mothman is definitely in WV.

If I remember correctly, it turned out DB Cooper was eccentric billionaire and WNYX radio owner Jimmy James.

Wouldn't it suck if it was determined he was alive? All of that money stolen and he never got a red cent from the ransom, because (if he survived) he probably dropped it as he was falling from the plane. This case may be solved one of two ways. One, if this lead turns out a match on the DNA found on the tie and two, if human remains are found in the area Cooper is alleged to have jumped out of the plane over. I say I hope they solve it, that's what we set out to do with mysteries anyway right?

One thing that always bothered me (and maybe someone can answer this for me) but how do they "know" the money he stole was never in circulation? Seriously, I know they recorded serial numbers, but who is the person that checks the serial numbers on bills? I'm sure in the 70's there was no scanning device at a bank that would detect a bill. I've worked in finance my whole career, and the most I've ever seen done with money is the bundles being run with two people present to ensure the correct amount of bills in each bundle are there, and sometimes we would check larger bills under the light machine to ensure they were authentic. I just don't understand how they could detect those bills...someone help me out if you know the answer, or if that's just what "they" say to deter people from committing crimes/robbery/ransoms/etc.....

I used to pray that my dad was DB Cooper when I was younger LOL. DB Cooper, to me, was soooo cool! I used to ask my dad when I was like 12 years old "Dad, are SURE you aren't DB Cooper?" after I had seen the UM segment. He'd always say something back to me like "Do you think we'd have just had Hamburger Helper for dinner if I was DB Cooper?" LMAO. My dreams were finally crushed when I found out that the first time my parents were ever to the USA was about 6 years after DB hijacked the plane :(

One thing that always bothered me (and maybe someone can answer this for me) but how do they "know" the money he stole was never in circulation? Seriously, I know they recorded serial numbers, but who is the person that checks the serial numbers on bills? I'm sure in the 70's there was no scanning device at a bank that would detect a bill. I've worked in finance my whole career, and the most I've ever seen done with money is the bundles being run with two people present to ensure the correct amount of bills in each bundle are there, and sometimes we would check larger bills under the light machine to ensure they were authentic. I just don't understand how they could detect those bills...someone help me out if you know the answer, or if that's just what "they" say to deter people from committing crimes/robbery/ransoms/etc.....

From what I heard, a list of serial numbers for the missing money was circulated to banks and financial institutions... in small font on dozens of double-sided pages and the numbers apparently weren't even listed in numerical order! If I was a bank employee at that time, I'd demand to be rewarded the entire $200,000 if you expected me to check back and forth between that list and every single $20 bill I received :lol: . Needless to say, I would not be surprised at all if that money was circulated without anyone noticing.

Interestingly, this website allows you to check if the serial numbers on any $20 bill you possess happen to match any of the stolen Cooper money. If only the FBI had the Internet at their disposal in 1971...
http://www.check-six.com/lib/DBCooperLoot.htm

One thing that always bothered me (and maybe someone can answer this for me) but how do they "know" the money he stole was never in circulation? Seriously, I know they recorded serial numbers, but who is the person that checks the serial numbers on bills? I'm sure in the 70's there was no scanning device at a bank that would detect a bill. I've worked in finance my whole career, and the most I've ever seen done with money is the bundles being run with two people present to ensure the correct amount of bills in each bundle are there, and sometimes we would check larger bills under the light machine to ensure they were authentic. I just don't understand how they could detect those bills...someone help me out if you know the answer, or if that's just what "they" say to deter people from committing crimes/robbery/ransoms/etc.....

I don't think they can really say that they know the money was never spent. But here's what they can say:
- They've solved other crimes by tracking the serial numbers of stolen money.
- They gave the serial numbers to plenty of banks.
- Newspapers published the serial numbers offering a big reward for the 1st person to produce one of the bills.
- There were 10,000 bills, minus the 300 or so that was found in 1980, that leaves around 9,700 bills still out there in circulation.

The fact is that NOT ONE BILL HAS EVER TURNED UP. Does this prove unequivocally that the money was never spent? No. But it is pretty powerful circumstantial evidence that the money was never spent. There's been plenty of tipsters who've called in on suspects because they look like him, they parachute, etc. But no one has ever been found with one dollar of the ransom. Its likely at this point that the money is still out in the woods, by this point, deteriorated beyond recognition, or DB Cooper burned the money in fear of being traced.

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1669045

The FBI is investigating whether a dead man in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is D.B. Cooper, who hijacked a passenger jet in 1971 over Washington state and parachuted with $200,000 in ransom.
Cooper has never been found.

FBI agent Fred Gutt said Monday the bureau is following up a "credible" lead in the unsolved case and is focused on a suspect who died more than 10 years ago.

Gutt said the bureau received a tip from a retired law enforcement source about the dead man possibly being Cooper. FBI agents requested personal effects of the possible suspect, who died of natural causes.

The FBI is trying to find fingerprints or DNA on the dead man's effects to compare with items the hijacker left behind. The FBI said three years ago that it found DNA evidence on the clip-on necktie Cooper left on the plane before he jumped.

Gutt said the FBI has already tested one item of the dead man's belongings for fingerprints. It was not conclusive. They are now working with surviving family members to gather other items for further testing.

The suspect is someone who has not been previously investigated, and Gutt said initial vetting supported the belief of the tipster. But he cautioned that the new lead may not pan out and that investigators were still pursuing other possibilities.

"Maybe this is just someone else who just happened to look like him and whose life story just kind of paralleled," Gutt said.

Gutt said the new lead is also promising because of the way it came to the FBI. The tipster initially discussed the case with a retired law enforcement officer who then contacted the FBI. Only after the FBI contacted the witness directly did the person discuss the Cooper case with investigators.

"They're not seeking attention," Gutt said. "To the contrary, they're looking to avoid it."

Federal investigators have checked more than 1,000 leads since the suspect bailed out on Nov. 24, 1971, over the Pacific Northwest.

The man who jumped gave his name as Dan Cooper and claimed shortly after takeoff in Portland, Oregon, that he had a bomb, leading the flight crew to land the plane in Seattle, where passengers were exchanged for parachutes and ransom money.

The flight then took off for Mexico with the suspect and flight crew on board. The hijacker parachuted from the plane after dark as it flew south, apparently over a rugged, wooded region of the Pacific Northwest. In 1980, a boy found several thousand dollars in $20 bills from the ransom decomposing along the Columbia River.

The FBI's latest tip in the case was first reported by The Telegraph newspaper in London.

DB Cooper was Richard McCoy. Composite sketch was dead on plus the crime was the exact same. Why the FBI is wasting resources on this is beyond me.

i do not think this lead will pan out. none of bills were used in circulation. its very hard for it not to.

At this pace, I expect bigfoot to finally be captured by the end of 2011.
Just have to give this an LOL...if he was wouldn't that be something?:crazy:

DB Cooper was Richard McCoy. Composite sketch was dead on plus the crime was the exact same. Why the FBI is wasting resources on this is beyond me.

Nah, I think if it was McCoy the flight attendants would have been able to identify him.

Nah, I think if it was McCoy the flight attendants would have been able to identify him.

McCoy has always been the most likely suspect IMHO, since he looks almost identical to the composite and since he committed a nearly identical crime months after the DB Cooper fiasco.

If you read the LA Times article at the lengthy link below, you'll see it offers a remotely possible reason why so little of the money was found and why the money was in the shape it was in. For those who cannot/will not open the link, the reason is that Cooper burned the money to stay alive in the cold. It's the first I have ever heard of this theory about the money; anyone have any thoughts?

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=638526&postId=638526&postUserId=7&sessionToken=&catId=5219&curAbsIndex=1&resultsUrl=DID%3D1%26DFCL%3D1000%26DSB%3Drank%2523desc%26DBFQ%3DuserId%253A7%26DL.w%3D%26DL.d%3D10%26DQ%3DsectionId%253A5219%26DPS%3D0%26DPL%3D3

For those who cannot/will not open the link, the reason is that Cooper burned the money to stay alive in the cold. It's the first I have ever heard of this theory about the money; anyone have any thoughts?

That idea was used in the movie Without a Paddle, lol.

DB Cooper was Richard McCoy. Composite sketch was dead on plus the crime was the exact same. Why the FBI is wasting resources on this is beyond me.

McCoy had an airtight alibi, he was younger than the hijacker, and he was never identified by eyewitnesses as the hijacker.

He was a copycat.

I wish the feds would concentrate their resources on some of the crooks responsible for the 2008 financial crisis instead. The damage done to people was a millionfold greater when compared to D.B. Cooper's crime. Of course, there is a strong possibilty that Cooper is dead.
I had the same thought as well. I guess it's "neat" that they're still working on this case, but nobody was killed and I'm about 99.9% sure he's dead. Maybe that makes me a bad UM fan, but there it is.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/db-cooper-exclusive-niece-provide-key-evidence/story?id=14219052

I'd like to see this and Zodiac solved, but as with all new Zodiac leads, I have to remain skeptical.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/woman_claism_her_uncle_is_the_infamous_Dkd4UYmLXm0euRbRcAA6tJ

Woman claims her uncle, Lynn Doyle Cooper, was DB Cooper.

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ht_db_cooper_fugitive_nt_110803_wg.jpg

Maybe it's just her personality, but I don't buy her story in the interview. I'll wait to see what proof comes up cause her testimony isn't believable.

Assuming this is the "big break" we've been hearing about for a few days now, I must say I'm disappointed. The whole thing reminds me of the bogus deathbed confession from a few years back. So far, I don't see anything credible to suggest this guy was Cooper.

And for a refresher, here is the Unsolved Mysteries commissioned sketch of DB Cooper suggested by one of the flight attendants, who debated the original sketch.

Woman claims her uncle was hijacker: http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=524713

McCoy had an airtight alibi, he was younger than the hijacker, and he was never identified by eyewitnesses as the hijacker.

He was a copycat.

McCoy's alibi of a tranquil Thanksgiving home in Provo was destroyed by credit card and collect phone call evidence, both of which placed him in Las Vegas in the early morning hours of the Cooper event, and late on Thanksgiving night, the night after the skyjacking.

The credit card trail disappears for more than 36 hours, during the exact period of the Cooper event and for a full day beyond. There's no record of McCoy paying for a hotel. Or a buffet. No entertainment. Nothing. Several weeks earlier McCoy apparently made a test run, staying at the Westward Ho on the Strip. He had no trouble using his credit card to pay for lodging at that point. But during the day in question we're supposed to believe a non-gambler like McCoy decided to make a bizarre 380 mile drive to Las Vegas in the wee hours of Thanksgiving Eve, and then all but vaporize for more than a day.

I detailed this -- and much more -- in a marathon thread on this site many years ago, in the range of 50 pages. It was eventually locked (2007?) when bickering developed, specifically between a new poster who taunted the widow of Duane Weber. She was posting occasionally. That thread might still be available in the stacks, to use a college word that's appropriate on this forum. If so, it's the best source of McCoy-as-Cooper info on the internet, based on the excellent book, "DB Cooper, The Real McCoy."

Here are supportive segments from other sites:
http://themountainnewswa.net/2011/06/03/japanese-tv-crew-in-area-filming-db-cooper-episode/

"BAS: Many in the FBI felt that Mc Coy was Cooper in the months after McCoy’s skyjacking. Russ Calame and Bernie Rhodes, in their book, DB Cooper – the Real McCoy, indicate there are many compelling pieces of evidence to draw that conclusion. Most notably are the credit card receipts for gas the day of the skyjacking, and a collect call on Thanksgiving Day, the day after the Cooper skyjacking – all from Las Vegas. It blows McCoy’s alibi that he was home having T-Day dinner with his family. Why the Seattle office of the FBI believes McCoy’s alibi, I have no idea. But Calame didn’t buy it and still doesn’t..."

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=2410972

The FBI release says McCoy couldn't have been Cooper because he was home for Thanksgiving dinner in 1971. "I think we proved pretty conclusively that he wasn't here, that he lied about Thanksgiving dinner," Calame said.

***

The FBI frankly has zero credibility on McCoy's whereabouts during the time in question. For decades lead investigator Ralph Himmelsbach asserted McCoy was in Los Angeles on that day, participating in Utah National Guard duty. Several years ago I called co-author Russell Calame for quotes included in the long thread, and I also contacted the Utah Air National Guard. The person I contacted from the latter source laughed when I asked if Utah National Guard duty could have taken place in Los Angeles on that day. He found no evidence of it, and sent an email saying he guaranteed it did not happen that way. I notified the FBI. Now they have curiously dropped the Los Angeles connection and scramble to place McCoy either in Las Vegas or having dinner with his family in Provo. You can locate either version, depending on what article or press release you read, or via listening to a radio interview with current lead FBI man Larry Carr:
http://www.stevenrinehart.com/uploads/LarryCarrInterview.mp3

Toward your other points, McCoy was a wiry hard looking 29 with a receding hairline. He looked considerably older than his chronological age. The picture of McCoy on the book jacket is remarkably similar to the accepted versions of Cooper's general appearance.

The stewardesses from the Cooper skyjacking rejected McCoy based on pictures of him, but consider that the lead stewardess from the second skyjacking was the star witness in McCoy's trial and could not identify him in court. He looked entirely different than his appearance on the plane. Similarly, we don't know exactly what Cooper looked like, detail by detail, or the extent of a disguise. There were a handful of witnesses in an extremely rare stressful situation. The reported eye color (brown) is often hoisted as reason to exclude McCoy, who had blue eyes. I wonder what level of certainty the FBI would like place on Cooper's eyes as brown, relying on a handful of witnesses? As a gambler I'd jump all over the under. It was McCoy.

A couple of questions:

This is an elementary question, but did the passengers know the plane was being hijacked? On UM, it was stated that the passengers were told nothing until they were safely off the plane. However, on the "In Search of" program about the case, one of the passengers is interviewed and insinuated he knew the plane was being hijacked.

Also, has any member of McCoy's surviving family submitted DNA for comparison to the DNA found on the tie?

Woman claims her uncle was hijacker: http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=524713


Sorry, I didn't know that this was pretty much already posted. When I ask the board to take me to the last post, it hasnt' been on this thread... so I had 2 pages of unread posts! oops!

Assuming this is the "big break" we've been hearing about for a few days now, I must say I'm disappointed. The whole thing reminds me of the bogus deathbed confession from a few years back. So far, I don't see anything credible to suggest this guy was Cooper.

Great call justin. It's slop. Familiar slop. No doubt we'll be treated to similar every few years. This one comes equipped with all the neat simpleton tools; a bloody shirt still worn long after the crime, walkie talkies, boasts that we hijacked a plane so all our financial woes are gone. Yahoo!

It would be beyond belief that the investigation could stoop to this level other than it's so typical. In the previous post I linked to a recent radio interview with Seattle FBI man Larry Carr, now the lead investigator in the Cooper case:
http://www.stevenrinehart.com/uploads/LarryCarrInterview.mp3

Carr, to state it mildly, comes across as a flailing guesswork apprentice who has no business in that position. He makes a disgraceful gaffe in claiming that McCoy is dismissed partially based on McCoy bringing his own parachutes on board, unlike Cooper, who asked for the chutes.

McCoy in April 1972, similar to his prior role as Cooper in November 1971, asked for cash and four parachutes. He upped the take from $200,000 to $500,000 and brought rope to secure the haul, unlike November when it was lost upon exiting the plane.

Is it too much to ask for the LEAD Cooper FBI man to have basic info on the McCoy case? Carr continues his low level approach throughout that interview, scrambling like it's 3rd and long. He can't decide if the skyjacker was a novice jumper or extremely skilled. Like so many others, he obscenely undervalues the ability of a parachute to accomplish it's one task, i.e. delivering a human safely to the ground. Carr thinks Cooper died during the jump. He claims McCoy has no physical similarity to Cooper other than being male. Funny, plenty of us -- including a poster early in this thread -- look at the McCoy pictures from that era and conclude it's like someone drew the Cooper sketch based on a photo of McCoy.

Most pathetic of all, Carr decides he's pinpointed Cooper's background based on a handful of variables from that night. He says Cooper worked on planes and was, "probably a loadmaster."

I could comfortably give 50/1 odds that Cooper, regardless of his identity, was not a loadmaster and have much the best of it.

This is the type of thing that drove me from studying true crime, infatuation with glittery low percentage flakes as opposed to occam tedium. This board has always featured terrific posters but others like the EAR-ONS site on the A&E forums were dominated by posters clinging to the absurd EAR A/EAR B angle, a copycat perpetrator. Anyone who rejected that notion was mocked and dismissed. Fortunately, I understand the EAR A/EAR B malarkey was recently flushed by a DNA match to Goleta.

Also, has any member of McCoy's surviving family submitted DNA for comparison to the DNA found on the tie?

Good question. That was one of two valuable segments from Carr's otherwise woeful performance in that radio interview that I linked earlier.

McCoy has not been exhumed and no DNA tests made to his relatives. The DNA is a very weak sample and cannot be used to include. Apparently it's a limited partial DNA sample that doesn't exclude too many people.

Frankly, the FBI doesn't know for sure that it has Cooper's DNA or his partial fingerprints. The more articles and interviews I've read it's obvious the Cooper plane was handled poorly during evidence collection. Cups were trashed and rescued later. Magazines weren't collected.

The FBI has partial fingerprints and hopes they somehow match a suspect who otherwise shouldn't have been on the plane. That's the master plan, after nearly 40 years. And by all means avoid the logical answer.

Carr's other important info was to diminish the significance of the cash. This is hardly a follow the money case, as others have insisted. Carr emphasized in the radio interview that it was highly unlike the money could be traced unless the bills were spent quickly and in the Pacific Northwest, the focus of the investigation. Quotes from his interview: "The reality of the situation is he could have spent those $20 bills anywhere. There was no mechanism in place to scan those numbers. Odds are, back in the '70s, unless a teller happened to have a list of the serial numbers -- which they were provided -- and happened to do a spot check and found one, that's the only way we would have known."

$20 bills have an average circulation lifespan of 18-25 months, the lower number prevalent in the '70s. Newer technology bills last longer.

The McCoy as Cooper book speculates that he lost the cash during the jump, other than several thousand stuffed in his pockets. McCoy and his family somehow had enough money for a trip to his original North Carolina home not long after the Cooper event.

***

BTW, I should mention a major sticking point toward potential resolution of this case, specifically the McCoy as Cooper angle: Karen McCoy

Richard McCoy's widow is still alive, and last I heard she had a government job in Utah. Karen has demonstrated an eagerness to sue and threaten to sue. That reportedly causes reluctance among friends and acquaintances who otherwise might come forward with info, particularly after Karen won an out of court settlement based on the "Real McCoy" book.

That settlement is often ridiculously propped to claim Karen won, and therefore McCoy was not Cooper. In fact, it was primarily an attorney-client privilege settlement. The vast majority of Karen's money from the settlement came from Thomas Taylor, who maintained he was not Karen McCoy's attorney or literary agent. Taylor turned over information for the book to co-author Russell Calame, a friend. Karen McCoy had admitted to Taylor her involvement in the second hijacking. She later made similar admissions under oath during a hearing on the suit.

When I talked to Calame on the phone several years ago, he provided a valuable perspective on the lawsuit, saying Karen McCoy was on the defensive on the stand, forced to concede her involvement. Karen wanted the book out of print but primarily she was concerned with avoiding a movie deal and the avalanche of publicity and scrutiny that was certain to follow, as opposed to a low circulation book. Calame told me that he and Bernie Rhodes were exhausted after 6 years of researching and writing the book, and had no interest in a movie.

Many people speculate that aditional McCoy info will surface when Karen dies. However, she has two children from Richard McCoy so that could be a factor if they pursue a similar approach.

A poster on this board knew McCoy and served with him. He is convinced McCoy is Cooper, based on things McCoy said during the '60s. I believe the user name was vonmazur. He wrote in a McCoy thread on this forum that he contacted the FBI immediately after the Cooper skyjacking but they ignored him, until after the second event. Sounds like par for the course.

One thing that always bothered me (and maybe someone can answer this for me) but how do they "know" the money he stole was never in circulation? Seriously, I know they recorded serial numbers, but who is the person that checks the serial numbers on bills? I'm sure in the 70's there was no scanning device at a bank that would detect a bill.

I thought the same thing.

I used to pray that my dad was DB Cooper when I was younger LOL. DB Cooper, to me, was soooo cool! I used to ask my dad when I was like 12 years old "Dad, are SURE you aren't DB Cooper?" after I had seen the UM segment. He'd always say something back to me like "Do you think we'd have just had Hamburger Helper for dinner if I was DB Cooper?"

:lol: Funny!

In the article from the woman who claims her uncle was D.B. Cooper, she says she heard him say "WE hijacked an airplane." Is she indicating that he had an accomplice? Because Cooper was alone when he hijacked the plane.

Unlikely as it is that Cooper survived the jump, what makes it probable is why has NO ONE come forward and mentioned a relative/colleague/acquaintance fitting that description and missing as of that date? Also worth noting would be anyone making a credible claim of an unaccounted-for absence around that time--it must have taken time for him to hike out of the wilderness.

This question was probably answered in the mammoth thread of yore, but I'm too tired and migraney to dig through the whole thread, so suffer me asking it once more please. I know there's a statute of limitations on theft, but is there one on hijacking? What I'm getting at is, could an arrest even be made after 40 years or is solving the case more of a novelty at this point?

This is the type of thing that drove me from studying true crime, infatuation with glittery low percentage flakes as opposed to occam tedium...

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in...
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Anyone else think it's ironic all these "updates" are coming to light now, when Carr has a book about DB Cooper coming out next month?

Amazing if this was solved after all these years. It's certainly been a fantastic year for solves!

This question was probably answered in the mammoth thread of yore, but I'm too tired and migraney to dig through the whole thread, so suffer me asking it once more please. I know there's a statute of limitations on theft, but is there one on hijacking? What I'm getting at is, could an arrest even be made after 40 years or is solving the case more of a novelty at this point?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Db_cooper

Statute of limitations

In 1976 discussion arose over impending expiration of the statute of limitations on the hijacking. Most published legal analysis agreed that it would make little difference, as interpretation of the statute varies considerably from case to case and court to court, and a prosecutor could argue that Cooper had forfeited immunity on any of several valid technical grounds. The question was rendered moot in November when a Portland grand jury returned an indictment against "John Doe, aka Dan Cooper" for air piracy and violation of the Hobbs Act. In effect the indictment formally initiated prosecution of the hijacker that can be continued, should he be apprehended, at any time in the future.

the picture looks awfully like him. the question is what happened to the money. apparently, it was buried. the theory that he burned it is meh because he's surrounded by the woods. wouldn't burning wood be better than burning cash?

i'm gonna finally buy this story now. the niece came out and seems to have a credible story.

if it is him, then he probably buried it, somewhere, maybe it decomposed and was unusable...got wet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Db_cooper

Statute of limitations

In 1976 discussion arose over impending expiration of the statute of limitations on the hijacking. Most published legal analysis agreed that it would make little difference, as interpretation of the statute varies considerably from case to case and court to court, and a prosecutor could argue that Cooper had forfeited immunity on any of several valid technical grounds. The question was rendered moot in November when a Portland grand jury returned an indictment against "John Doe, aka Dan Cooper" for air piracy and violation of the Hobbs Act. In effect the indictment formally initiated prosecution of the hijacker that can be continued, should he be apprehended, at any time in the future.

Thanks. That answered my question perfectly. I was reading Newsvine yesterday and people were saying he couldn't be prosecuted which I though was incorrect. I had assumed that hijacking had no statute of limitations, but it looks like it's more tricky than I thought.

I really hope this lady who claims her uncle was DB Cooper is not the "bombshell" that has been reported all over the media the past couple of days. Isn't like every five years or so when someone publically names their deceased family member as either DB Cooper, the Zodiac, or some other notorious criminal that has yet to be caught?

I really hope this lady who claims her uncle was DB Cooper is not the "bombshell" that has been reported all over the media the past couple of days. Isn't like every five years or so when someone publically names their deceased family member as either DB Cooper, the Zodiac, or some other notorious criminal that has yet to be caught?

Steve Hodel will be coming out of the woodwork to claim D.B. Cooper was his dad soon. After all, his dad is The Zodiac the Black Dahlia killer and the Chicago Lipstick Killer, why not D.B. Cooper too?:rolleyes:

I don't entirely disbelieve the niece just because she has waited so long. She may have been waiting for every adult family member who had knowledge of the crime to pass away so they couldn't be tried as accomplices. The only way we may ever know the truth in the JonBenét case is if Burke Ramsey outlives the adult members of his family, since both his father and his mother's sister knew what really happened and chose to be part of the coverup--a crime in itself. Then he has to feel it is necessary either to unburden himself or to let the public know the truth. It could produce an additional burden on him from those who already have their minds made up and don't accept his story should he choose to share it.

Arg.... :mad:



FBI: DNA test did not match D.B. Cooper suspect


OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — DNA testing has failed to link a new suspect in the D.B. Cooper hijacking to a necktie that he left behind on the plane in 1971, the FBI said Monday.

Special Agent Fred Gutt cautioned that the test does not necessarily rule out the deceased man because investigators do not know whether DNA on the tie is that of the hijacker. Gutt said there are three different DNA samples on the necktie and it's not clear where the hijacker got it.

"There are some questions about the tie itself: Was it a used tie, a borrowed tie?" Gutt said.

Investigators compared the DNA on the tie to the DNA of someone in the new suspect's family, Gutt said. A woman in Oklahoma recently came forward to say that she believes her uncle, Lynn Doyle Cooper, was the hijacker — which she based largely on memories from when she was 8 years old.

Gutt said the FBI had an inconclusive round of fingerprint testing on a guitar strap and that investigators are now working with family members to identify other items that could be tested further for fingerprints.

Federal investigators have checked hundreds of leads since the man dubbed "D.B. Cooper" parachuted from a flight with $200,000 dollars in ransom in 1971.

Cooper claimed after taking off in Portland that he had a bomb, and officials met his demands for parachutes and ransom money when the plane landed in Seattle. After ordering the flight back into the air, Cooper apparently jumped from the plane around the Washington-Oregon border.

FBI investigators have questioned over the years whether Cooper could have survived. Marla Cooper, the woman who believes her late uncle is the hijacker, recalled seeing him arrive at a family home in Oregon with serious injuries.



http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-dna-test-did-not-match-d-b-231612320.html

So they pointedly don't say whether Lynn Doyle Cooper was the suspect. Wasn't he in the military and as such mightn't his fingerprints be on file somewhere?

Steve Hodel will be coming out of the woodwork to claim D.B. Cooper was his dad soon. After all, his dad is The Zodiac the Black Dahlia killer and the Chicago Lipstick Killer, why not D.B. Cooper too?:rolleyes:

You beat me to the punch! I was going to make this crack about Steve Hodel. I think he also kidnapped the Lindbergh baby...

Somehow I'm not surprised that the DNA didn't match. Another disappointment.

Interesting article says Dan Cooper may have been Canadian...

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Cooper+Canadian+connection+probed+years+after+hijacking/5766171/story.html

Here's a link to the Sleuth teams website:
http://www.citizensleuths.com/

Another article relating:
http://www.freep.com/article/20111125/NEWS07/111250345/Skyjack-anniversary-brings-out-sleuths

Interesting article says Dan Cooper may have been Canadian...

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Cooper+Canadian+connection+probed+years+after+hijacking/5766171/story.html

Here's a link to the Sleuth teams website:
http://www.citizensleuths.com/

Another article relating:
http://www.freep.com/article/20111125/NEWS07/111250345/Skyjack-anniversary-brings-out-sleuths


Our Lake Charles newspaper had a cover story too!

I wonder did they try to match the DNA to any of the other DB Cooper suspects? Or do they even have DNA samples from Christiansen and some of those other guys they thought might be him?

Yet another one....


Did DB Cooper stash cash in B.C. bank?


The high-stakes heist was splashed across the front pages of the newspapers Galen Cook delivered as a boy and the Alaskan lawyer says the case never really left him, prompting him to follow a trail for years that he now believes leads to Vancouver.

Cook is convinced the outlaw stashed some of his cash in banks in the city in the days after the hijacker jumped out the rear stairs of a 727 jet with nothing but the money and two parachutes.

And the outlaw's son agrees with him.



http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111124/bc-sleuth-thinks-hijacker-db-cooper-stashed-cash-in-vancouver-bank-111124/20111124/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Supposedly the Lynn Doyle Cooper fingerprints match. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070038/Niece-potential-DB-Cooper-suspect-claims-FBI-close-skyjacking-case-good.html

This is effing exciting, wow!

That would be great, would like to hear it from the FBI though before I believe it.

So many people have come forward over the years claiming that their relative was DB Cooper that I'm skeptical of the woman in the daily mail article.

One thing that's kinda weird about the niece's story is that the day after DB Cooper hijacked the plane, her uncle, Lynne Doyle Cooper, showed up at her house badly injured and claiming it was from a car crash.

If her uncle was DB Cooper, how the heck did he get out of the Cascade Mountains and make it to her house while on foot and injured in only a matter of hours?

Also, she provided law enforcement with a guitar strap once owned by the uncle so they could do fingerprint testing. IMO, it's doubtful that fingerprints on that guitar strap are going to be usable after 40 years. They got DB Cooper's DNA off that neck tie back in 2001. They'd probably be better off comparing her DNA to that to see if they're related.

---
edit - I just read the ctvbc article from November 24. It states that DNA tests were performed in August and did not connect Lynne Doyle Cooper to the case.

So many people have come forward over the years claiming that their relative was DB Cooper that I'm skeptical of the woman in the daily mail article.

One thing that's kinda weird about the niece's story is that the day after DB Cooper hijacked the plane, her uncle, Lynne Doyle Cooper, showed up at her house badly injured and claiming it was from a car crash.

If her uncle was DB Cooper, how the heck did he get out of the Cascade Mountains and make it to her house while on foot and injured in only a matter of hours?

Also, she provided law enforcement with a guitar strap once owned by the uncle so they could do fingerprint testing. IMO, it's doubtful that fingerprints on that guitar strap are going to be usable after 40 years. They got DB Cooper's DNA off that neck tie back in 2001. They'd probably be better off comparing her DNA to that to see if they're related.

---
edit - I just read the ctvbc article from November 24. It states that DNA tests were performed in August and did not connect Lynne Doyle Cooper to the case.

So DNA tests proved him innocent?

So DNA tests proved him innocent?

Yep, a DNA test done in August 2011 couldn't connect Lynne Doyle Cooper to the case.

The article with that information was posted by ernmerica in #62 of this thread. Most of the info is about money from the hijacking being stashed in a Canadian bank, but while skimming through the article, I got to a short sentence that mentions, almost as an afterthought, that Lynne Doyle Cooper was eliminated as a suspect.

Quote: The FBI said earlier this year that it had a promising lead on a suspect. In August, DNA tests on a necktie failed to link Lynn Doyle Cooper to the hijacking.

I think that this case was played out once it became mentioned in a Kid Rock song lol

Am I the only person that would rather this not be solved? It takes the excitement away.


I just walked into the room and they said the mystery is almost solved. FOX news. Looking for links now!

I highly recommend Skyjack by Geoffrey Gray, an awesome portrait of the many potential suspects with a really enjoyable narrative in the vein of Graysmith's Zodiac books.

Link (http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Death-at-home-of-DB-Cooper-chute-packer-ruled-a-homicide-205166891.html)

Detectives in Woodinville continue to piece together clues about a murder that has ties to one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the nation.

A man's body was found in the garage of a home on Northeast 192nd Street on Friday.

Police are not releasing the victim's name yet, but are expected to Monday afternoon.

Records show the property is owned by a man, Earl Cossey, who packed parachutes used by infamous airplane hijacker D.B. Cooper more than four decades ago.

Cooper disappeared after jumping out of a plane over the Pacific Northwest in 1971.

Cossey is a former skydiving instructor and school teacher.

All Saturday afternoon, search and rescue crews combed the woods for evidence across the street from the Woodinville home - which police are now investigating as a homicide scene.

The investigation began Friday when police say they received a call from a woman saying she'd found her father dead at his home - police say the woman told them it'd been several days since she heard from him.

Neighbors in the area told KOMO yesterday they are concerned and want answers to this mystery.

Link (http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Death-at-home-of-DB-Cooper-chute-packer-ruled-a-homicide-205166891.html)

Detectives in Woodinville continue to piece together clues about a murder that has ties to one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the nation.

A man's body was found in the garage of a home on Northeast 192nd Street on Friday.

Police are not releasing the victim's name yet, but are expected to Monday afternoon.

Records show the property is owned by a man, Earl Cossey, who packed parachutes used by infamous airplane hijacker D.B. Cooper more than four decades ago.

Sounds like this poor guys was very tired of being linked to the Cooper case, and now, sadly, most news reports about his death (as of Sunday, 4/28, authorities had not officially identified the victim), are being overshadowed by the Cooper case. :(

Cooper disappeared after jumping out of a plane over the Pacific Northwest in 1971.

Cossey is a former skydiving instructor and school teacher.

All Saturday afternoon, search and rescue crews combed the woods for evidence across the street from the Woodinville home - which police are now investigating as a homicide scene.

The investigation began Friday when police say they received a call from a woman saying she'd found her father dead at his home - police say the woman told them it'd been several days since she heard from him.

Neighbors in the area told KOMO yesterday they are concerned and want answers to this mystery.

Sounds like this man was very tired of his name being linked to the Cooper case. As of Sunday, 4/28 the victims name had not officially been released. Now most of the news reports of this crime are overshadowing his death with the Cooper case. :(

DB Cooper was Richard McCoy.Ah they look alike..... Who knows if Richard had a disguise TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE COOPER....

I have this on VHS that i recorded years ago from the ORIGINAL Robert Stack show.......

VERY INTERESTING INDEED....... He had the stuff needed to land safely..... I think he may have planted money to try and throw people off..... This guy isnt dumb..