Decades-old DB Cooper mystery resurfaces with new evidence
3 Min Read
Siblings Chanté and Rick McCoy III claim their father, Richard McCoy Jr., was the infamous DB Cooper, after discovering a parachute linked to the 1971 hijacking, prompting the FBI to reportedly reexamine the decades-old case.
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A police sketch of cooper who stole 200,000$ and parachuted off a plan on November 24, 1971 over southwestern Washington. (AP)
One of the most enduring mysteries in US criminal history may be closer to resolution. DB Cooper, the enigmatic hijacker who leaped from a plane in 1971 with $200,000 in ransom money, has remained unidentified for more than 50 years. However, new claims by two siblings have reignited interest in the case.
Chanté and Rick McCoy III allege that their father, Richard McCoy Jr., was the infamous DB Cooper. The siblings say they discovered a parachute linked to the 1971 hijacking in their late mother's shed. Their claims have reportedly prompted the FBI to reopen its investigation into the case, which was officially closed in 2016.
Siblings discover a hidden parachute in their late father's home, claiming he's the legendary hijacker DB Cooper. The parachute closely matches the ones demanded by Cooper. FBI is on it. Could this finally solve the mystery? pic.twitter.com/jfC1b1oGtz
— Exnol (@AfcExnol) November 27, 2024
The Hijacking That Baffled the FBI
On November 24, 1971, a man identifying himself as Dan Cooper boarded a Northwest Orient Airlines flight from Portland to Seattle. During the flight, he passed a note to a flight attendant, claiming he had a bomb in his briefcase.
Cooper demanded $200,000 in cash and four parachutes. After releasing the passengers upon landing in Seattle, he directed the flight crew to fly toward Mexico City. Thirty minutes after takeoff, he jumped from the plane over Washington state, disappearing without a trace.
The FBI's exhaustive 45-year investigation yielded no conclusive leads, despite finding $5,800 of the ransom money near Vancouver, Washington, in 1980. The case was officially declared unsolved in 2016.
Read more: The Zodiac Identified after Decades
New Evidence Emerges
Dan Gryder, a retired pilot and independent investigator of the DB Cooper case, claims the FBI is now reviewing the McCoys' discovery.
According to Gryder, the parachute found in their mother's shed is "one in a billion." The FBI reportedly searched the property and took possession of the parachute, which they are analyzing for DNA evidence to match against samples from the original hijacking.
Gryder, who has documented the McCoys' claims on his YouTube channel Probable Cause, revealed that the FBI contacted him in 2023 about the new evidence. He believes this could be a significant breakthrough in the case.
Richard McCoy Jr.: A Prime Suspect
Richard McCoy Jr., a Vietnam War veteran and helicopter pilot, was previously investigated by the FBI for his connection to DB Cooper.
In April 1972, McCoy hijacked a plane and parachuted out with $500,000 in cash. He was arrested two days later and sentenced to 45 years in prison. McCoy escaped in 1974 but was killed by the FBI after three months on the run.
While the FBI has never conclusively linked McCoy to the DB Cooper case, his military background and similar hijacking methods have kept him a prime suspect. If DNA from the parachute matches samples from the 1971 crime, it could confirm McCoy as DB Cooper.
