What happened to DB Cooper and was his money found in 2020?
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The story of D.B. Cooper is one of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries in American history. On November 24, 1971, a man identified only as Dan Cooper (later mistakenly referred to as D.B. Cooper) hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines flight, demanding $200,000 in ransom and four parachutes. After landing in Seattle and receiving his ransom, Cooper released the passengers, kept a few crew members on board, and instructed the plane to fly towards Mexico City. Somewhere between Seattle and Reno, he jumped out of the plane, parachuting into the night with the money—and he was never seen again.
The mystery deepened as the FBI conducted an extensive investigation, which lasted for decades, without ever conclusively identifying Cooper. One popular theory linked the hijacking to Richard McCoy, who had a similar modus operandi in 1972, hijacking a plane, demanding money, and escaping with a parachute. However, McCoy was arrested and later killed by FBI agents in 1974, and while some believed McCoy could be Cooper, the evidence was never conclusive.
A major breakthrough came in 2020 when retired pilot and skydiver Dan Gryder found a modified parachute he believed belonged to McCoy, leading to speculation that McCoy could have been Cooper. McCoy’s children even suggested their father was the hijacker, although they kept quiet for years to protect their mother. However, even if McCoy was Cooper, the ransom money has likely long disappeared.
In 1980, a significant clue was found when an eight-year-old boy discovered $5,880 by the Columbia River. The FBI confirmed it was part of the ransom money, which suggested that Cooper either dropped the money or died in the fall, though it’s unclear if all the money was recovered.
As of now, the fate of D.B. Cooper, his money, and whether he survived remains a mystery. While theories abound, the case was closed in 2016, and the FBI has not reopened it, leaving the story of D.B. Cooper to continue as one of the greatest unsolved criminal puzzles.
