The hunt for D.B. Cooper

saxo-archive

Friday, Jan. 4, 2008 | midnight

On Nov. 24, 1971, a man now known as D.B. Cooper hijacked a passenger plane traveling from Portland, Ore., to Seattle. He said he had a bomb and demanded $200,000 in $20 bills. After the plane landed in Seattle, he was given the money and parachutes in exchange for releasing the 36 passengers onboard. He then told the crew, “Fly to Mexico.”

Somewhere between Seattle and Reno he put on a parachute, grabbed the money and jumped into the rainy night. He was never heard from again.

The only sign of Cooper since came in 1980. An 8-year-old boy found a rotting package of $20 bills totaling $5,800 on the sandy banks of the Columbia River. The serial numbers matched those on the bills given to Cooper.

The FBI has investigated for years and crossed 800 suspects off its list. Amateur sleuths have offered theories and written books. D.B. Cooper has become legend as speculation has overtaken the facts.

“It's a mystery, frankly,” the FBI said in a statement released Monday. “Do we want to find our man? Absolutely.”

The FBI believes its man probably died after jumping. But the agency wants to know for sure, and announced that it has “reignited” its case, asking the public for help solving the mystery.

“Maybe a hydrologist can use the latest technology to trace the $5,800 in ransom money found in 1980 to where Cooper landed upstream,” said Special Agent Larry Carr, who is leading the investigation in Seattle. “Or maybe someone just remembers that odd uncle.”

Going public with the search will undoubtedly result in a flood of tips as people turn in their odd uncles and offer would-be clues, but the real mystery is why the FBI is continuing to pursue the case so aggressively. The FBI's tenacity is admirable but misplaced. The agency certainly has better priorities than chasing the ghosts of the past.

Besides, why ruin a good mystery?