DB Cooper Case Goes Cold Again

Last week, those who have taken an interest in the infamous DB Cooper hijacking during the 1970’s had their interest piqued when news leaked that the FBI was following a new lead in unmasking the infamous criminal.

Fans of the tale were mixed on the news, with some eager for new information on the long-cold case and some feeling that the mystery would dissipate with Cooper’s- if not capture, identification. (Many believe that it is almost inevitable that Cooper has since died given the time that has passed since the incident.)

A woman in Oklahoma came forward claiming that the man being investigated by the FBI for perpetrating the DB Cooper hijacking was her deceased uncle, Lynn Doyle Cooper- who went by “LD Cooper.” Marla Cooper recounted eavesdropping on cryptic conversations between her uncles as a child that she believed were tantamount to a confession.

Marla said she believed she saw her uncle upon his return from the hijacking, and stated:

“My uncle L.D. was wearing a white T-shirt and he was bloody and bruised and a mess, and I was horrified. I began to cry. My other uncle, who was with L.D., said Marla just shut up and go get your dad,” she said.

Pretty convincing? To date, the DB Cooper case is the only unsolved hijacking on the books- and it looks like despite the new lead, that’s how it will remain. The pending ID hinged on DNA obtained from a tie left behind by Cooper on the plane before he parachuted out into a storm in the Northwest wilderness. But testing revealed DNA from more than one person, among other issues of DNA certainty. FBI Special Agent Frederick Gutt spoke to press about the evidence:

The FBI was trying to match DNA on a tie reportedly left aboard the plane with that of a woman who believed her relative may have been the hijacker. But the tie had DNA from more than one person on it.

Further, “there are some questions about the tie itself: Was it a used tie, a borrowed tie?” Gutt said.

It seems at least for now, Cooper has slipped away once again. Do you hope the DB Cooper mystery will be solved in your lifetime?