D.B. Cooper update!

[Victoria81]

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

[Victoria81]

Originally Posted by Victoria81

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/artic...er-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/artic...#ixzz1Tgb7IzkD

[ILikeTurtles]

What the hell is happening with Unsolved Mysteries in 2011?

[1990 UM fan]

Originally Posted by ILikeTurtles

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.

[RobinW]

Originally Posted by 1990 UM fan

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.

[ScaryFog]

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.

[XCalibur]

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

[The Flying Dutchmans]

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.

[Phanekim]

Originally Posted by The Flying Dutchmans

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.

[2xJ]

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!

[browneyes106]

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.

[Jon]

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.

[DarkDante]

Originally Posted by Jon

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.

[Jon]

Originally Posted by DarkDante

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.

[asmitty]

Originally Posted by RobinW

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.