Newly uncovered evidence could lead to hijacker D.B. Cooper’s identity
There may be a significant development in the puzzling case of the unidentified pirate D.B. Cooper, following the discovery of a new piece of evidence.
The Seattle Times reports that the parachute linked to the hijacker might have been discovered. Richard McCoy II's children stumbled upon the parachute in a shed on their family's land.
According to the Times, the kids have always thought that their father was D.B. Cooper. After their mother died, Chanté and Richard III decided to contact Dan Gryder, a retired pilot and skydiving enthusiast. He has been sharing his research and findings on D.B. Cooper through his YouTube channel during his retirement.
Updates on D.B. Cooper: Fresh efforts to uncover clues about D.B. Cooper are underway along the Tena Bar area of the Columbia River.
The children held off on taking action until their mother had died because they believed she might have been involved in the hijacking. The FBI ceased their investigation into the matter in 2016.
Five months later, Chanté and Richard III's father, Richard McCoy II, was taken into custody for trying a similar robbery to that of D.B. Cooper's in Utah. After his arrest, he managed to escape from prison but ultimately lost his life in a confrontation with the police.
The FBI initially ruled McCoy out as a suspect because he didn’t fit the description of Cooper. At the time of the robbery, McCoy was only 27 years old, while Cooper was said to be in his mid-40s.
Numerous FBI agents were convinced that the actual D.B. Cooper didn't survive the parachute jump, but some, like Gryder, think that this newly discovered evidence could be a significant development.
"This will certainly confirm that it was McCoy," Gryder stated, as reported by Yahoo News.
53 Years Since Cooper Went Missing: Nov. 24
In 1971, a man named Cooper, who was in his middle years and wearing a business suit, was on an airplane when he handed a note to a flight attendant stating that he had a bomb. He requested $200,000 in twenty-dollar bills, which is around $1.5 million today, as well as four parachutes in return for letting the passengers go. Cooper even revealed the inside of his briefcase, which appeared to hold wires and explosives.
The plane flew in loops over Seattle as officials on the ground collected the money and parachutes to fulfill Cooper’s requests.
After the aircraft circled above the city for almost three hours, an FBI agent arrived with the cash and parachutes for the plane.
After the passengers exited the aircraft and the 727 had been refueled, it departed again at 7:37 p.m. with a flight crew of three in the cockpit and stewardess Tina Mucklow in the cabin with Cooper. Once the plane was airborne, Cooper instructed Mucklow to come into the cockpit, where she stayed for the remainder of the journey.
Feliks Banel, a historian from MyNorthwest, discusses D.B. Cooper, revealing that investigators believe they have pinpointed the true identity of D.B. Cooper.
Cooper instructed the team to fly to Mexico at a slow pace, keeping the landing gear extended and staying below 10,000 feet. He was informed that this flight plan would necessitate a refueling stop in Reno, Nevada.
After Mucklow was sent to the cockpit, Cooper removed his necktie and put on a parachute. He grabbed the $200,000—which was approximately 21 pounds, according to the FBI—and opened the rear stairs. In the cockpit, a light indicator went on, indicating the door was opened around 8 p.m. About fifteen minutes later, authorities later speculated that Cooper probably descended the stairs and leaped out over an area east of Interstate 5 (I-5), close to the town of Woodland.
The only thing remaining from Cooper was his clip-on necktie. Search teams scoured the forests in southwest Washington, but they were unable to discover any sign of him.
Contributor: Feliks Banel, local historian for MyNorthwest
Frank Sumrall works as a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can check out his articles here and reach out to him via email here.
