Has DB Cooper finally been identified ?

[Skulduggery]

On 1/9/2018 at 10:59 PM, pallidin said:

I saw a program on TV recently, suggesting a direct connection with Cooper and a vet who did the same thing a little later, bears a remarkable resemblance, and was killed after a prison escape on the run lasting 3 months.

That would be Richard McCoy.

[Skulduggery]

There was a large number of suspects in the Cooper case. Even John List was a suspect!!

[Skulduggery]

One thing that gives me doubt about Rackstraw is that a witness had said he wasn't the same man. That note is interesting, though. If it's a coincidence, it's a hell of a coincidence.

McCoy was a good suspect, but I've never been convinced. Lynn Cooper's story is *very* interesting, IMO. Can't say he was Dan Cooper, but there are certainly some oddities there. Even Weber's deathbed confession and sleep talking is eyebrow-raising. It's a really nutty case to crack. There is a strong chance the guy died that night, but anything's possible.

My personal (implausible) fan theory is that it was Hunter Thompson. xD

Edited January 11, 2018 by Skulduggery

[Calibeliever]

15 hours ago, BorizBadinov said:

Incidentally but perhaps unrelated, a  parachute was discovered buried on a rural Oregon farm some years ago matching the age and style but was not believed to be the one used in the crime. I can't recall the reason, but you know people in Oregon are always burying parachutes...

And then burying them on farms ...

Edit: the reason that didn't make sense is I read your comment as "people in Oregon are always buying parachutes..." nvm

Edited January 11, 2018 by Calibeliever

[Berwen]

I cannot imagine he would be sending letters or note thereby sending clues of his existence. 

[BorizBadinov]

2 hours ago, Calibeliever said:

And then burying them on farms ...

Edit: the reason that didn't make sense is I read your comment as "people in Oregon are always buying parachutes..." nvm

No worries I would probably read it the same way at first glance. I should have used a more complete sentence. 

There could be a lot of other reasons for that chute to be there and one has to believe the FBI would give due diligence. Still it makes me wonder.  

[Skulduggery]

https://dbcooper.com/2016/08/d-b-cooper-witness-fingered-rackstraw/

I've often heard that Rackstraw, as well as McCoy and many others, did not hold up to eyewitness identification (believe me -- I've studied this case half to death (although I've never watched any of the TV specials)). However, here's a small detail (in the link above) I must have glossed over way back. Turns out one very important eyewitness DID finger Rackstraw. The same witness who's description resulted in the famous composite sketch.

[Skulduggery]

*IF* Rackstraw is the same man from the Norjak incident, I think it would be amazing to see him come out and say he did it. He's old. Really old. I don't know what he'd face legally right now. I do think he'd have many fans, though. D.B. Cooper is a legend. In spite of the crime committed, he's become something of an antihero in a large part of public consciousness. 

[Regi]

36 minutes ago, Skulduggery said:

*IF* Rackstraw is the same man from the Norjak incident, I think it would be amazing to see him come out and say he did it. He's old. Really old.

But is he old enough? I've read that the hijacker's age was estimated as mid-forties, and so it seems to me (if that's anywhere close to accurate) then Rackstraw is actually too young.

[Maureen_jacobs]

No one else has anything to say on the railroad pensioner number?

[Skulduggery]

1 hour ago, regi said:

But is he old enough? I've read that the hijacker's age was estimated as mid-forties, and so it seems to me (if that's anywhere close to accurate) then Rackstraw is actually too young.

I thought about this, too. I just can't say without having been there myself.

[Skulduggery]

I can say this, though. When I was in basic training for the Army, I had a drill sergeant who looked like he was pushing 60, full head of gray hair and all. He looked very well-warn. He was actually 29. Looks can be really deceptive. Rackstraw's age definitely made me question this at first, though. I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Edited January 12, 2018 by Skulduggery

[_KB_]

On 1/10/2018 at 8:03 PM, justin3651 said:

They filed a john doe case against him. If he is ever found and they feel the case is strong enough they can proceed with prosecution.

Intriguing, the justice system over there seems fairly different from the one over here

[Regi]

12 hours ago, Skulduggery said:

I can say this, though. When I was in basic training for the Army, I had a drill sergeant who looked like he was pushing 60, full head of gray hair and all. He looked very well-warn. He was actually 29. Looks can be really deceptive.

I appreciate that, but in this instance, it's my opinion that Rackstraw didn't appear to be mid-forties.

[Skulduggery]

I agree. He definitely didn't. However, I do enjoy looking at all possibilities sometimes. I'm definitely not convinced Rackstraw actually is the guy, but damn, they are really trying to paint a picture. That letter is interesting, TBH.

I'm not convinced any of the suspects are the highjacker. I've been following this thing for years but apparently missed all the Colbert stuff till now. Last couple of years have preoccupied me with other things, so a lot of this is new to me.

I do think 'Crazy Uncle L.D.' and Weber should be looked into further, especially Weber. I'm aware of the DNA testing, but that was later found to be inconclusive. Still very unconvinced. Worth a bit of investigation, though. More than likely, the guy died. Helluva stunt that night, but damn. That was a deadly fall in all honesty.

McCoy always baffles me. He COULD have been....but like the others, a few things about him are inconsistent with the Norjak highjacker. 

Edited January 13, 2018 by Skulduggery

[Myles]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/17/db-cooper-was-former-military-paratrooper-from-michigan-publisher-claims.html

 

The mysterious plane hijacker known as "D.B. Cooper," who has eluded authorities for more than 45 years, was an ex-military paratrooper from Michigan who boasted about the daring heist to a friend, a publisher plans to reveal Thursday.

Michigan publisher Principa Media says Cooper was former military paratrooper and intelligence operative Walter R. Reca, and Principa worked with Reca's best friend, Carl Laurin, in compiling the evidence. While the publisher did not disclose if Reca was still alive, an obituary online lists Reca, of Oscada, Mich., as having died in 2014 at the age of 80.

[powerplant]

23 hours ago, Myles said:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/17/db-cooper-was-former-military-paratrooper-from-michigan-publisher-claims.html

 

The mysterious plane hijacker known as "D.B. Cooper," who has eluded authorities for more than 45 years, was an ex-military paratrooper from Michigan who boasted about the daring heist to a friend, a publisher plans to reveal Thursday.

Michigan publisher Principa Media says Cooper was former military paratrooper and intelligence operative Walter R. Reca, and Principa worked with Reca's best friend, Carl Laurin, in compiling the evidence. While the publisher did not disclose if Reca was still alive, an obituary online lists Reca, of Oscada, Mich., as having died in 2014 at the age of 80.

I don't put much stock into this suspect.

The audio interview made me cringe. The guy asking the interview questions is very disingenuous, he totally leads the interviewee into giving answers. Really makes me question the competence of the people doing the investigation. 

(the wrong way to conduct an interview, the person asking the question reveals all the details) 
Interviewer: "When you asked for the ransom money, did you ask for all $20 bills?"
Suspect: "Yeah I did" 

(the right way to conduct an interview -- the person answering reveals the details)
Interviewer: "Could you tell me about the ransom money?" 
Suspect: "When I asked for the ransom money, I requested that it all be in $20 bills.' 

The entire audio interview is basically the interviewer listing a bunch of details about the case, and then the suspect casually confirming them and not really providing any additional meaningful details.

Edited May 18, 2018 by powerplant

[Maureen_jacobs]

Need to ask a question.  According to something I just saw, there were 4 red sticks in briefcase that he said was a bomb.  Isn’t it possible that these 4 red sticks were flares that he used as he jumped to see the ground?

[Skulduggery]

On 5/25/2018 at 6:38 PM, Maureen_jacobs said:

Need to ask a question.  According to something I just saw, there were 4 red sticks in briefcase that he said was a bomb.  Isn’t it possible that these 4 red sticks were flares that he used as he jumped to see the ground?

That is an interesting line of thinking, to be honest. I figure there's not a definitive way to know nowadays. That's not a bad idea. I don't believe his so-called bomb was ever inspected while in the air. Was it? It would have been difficult to juggle the parachute, money and flares, I'd imagine. It isn't impossible, though. I don't know much about that kind of thing. If my grandfather was still alive, I'd ask him a few questions. He'd both flown planes and made jumps with flares. That is a really creative thought.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Skulduggery

[BrooklynGuy]

The search for D.B. Cooper: Investigators say they've confirmed skyjacker's identity by decoding long-lost 'confession'

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-db-cooper-confession-decoded-20180626-story.html

[Maureen_jacobs]

On 6/28/2018 at 12:44 PM, BrooklynGuy said:

The search for D.B. Cooper: Investigators say they've confirmed skyjacker's identity by decoding long-lost 'confession'

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-db-cooper-confession-decoded-20180626-story.html

But was he caught?   He may have been called out, but never served any time.  He did win if it were he.

Edited March 21, 2019 by Maureen_jacobs
Punctuation error