Has the Mystery of D.B Cooper Been Solved? FBI Quietly Seizes Parachute Said to be Used by Infamous Hijacker 53 Years Ago… Found Inside North Carolina Outbuilding
New evidence pointing back to D.B. Cooper could be a huge revelation in one of America's most mysterious cases.
Nov. 24 2024, Published 1:45 p.m. ET
A stunning new "one in a billion" clue could finally unravel the mystery of D.B. Cooper 53 years after his infamous hijack.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the parachute that D.B. Cooper used to flee with $200,000 after hijacking a plane may have finally been found, offering a major breakthrough in the case.
The parachute that D.B. Cooper used to flee after hijacking a plane may have finally been found.
The FBI has been baffled for decades by the case of D.B. Cooper – the unidentified man who hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, took thousands in ransom, and mysteriously vanished after parachuting out of the plane.
After exhausting all credible leads and suspects, the intelligence agency finally appeared to give up in 2016.
YouTuber Dan Gryder was contacted by Richard McCoy II's kids, who said they had new evidence.
The FBI said it was reallocating resources to other investigative priorities unless new information – particularly physical evidence like parachutes or money – emerged.
But now, the case has quietly been reopened after Richard Floyd McCoy II's children reached out to retired pilot, skydiver, and YouTuber Dan Gryder in 2020, presenting potential new evidence.
There has been speculation and theories suggesting McCoy could have been D.B. Cooper, but there hasn't been any definitive proof linking him to the hijacking.
McCoy, a former Army soldier and fugitive, was arrested in 1972 for a similar hijacking of a United Airlines flight – one year after the D.B. Cooper incident.
After the death of Chanté and 'Rick' McCoy's mother, the siblings reached out to Gryder in July 2022 and invited him to their family property in North Carolina.
The YouTuber had persistently been contacting them over the years during his own investigation of the case.
Inside Rick's mother's storage unit, Gryder discovered a modified military surplus bailout rig, which he believes was used by Cooper during the hijacking and could be the case's missing link.
He said of the specific parachute: "That rig is literally one in a billion."
A distinct parachute was found in storage at the McCoy family property in North Carolina.
McCoy’s children share Gryder's belief that their father was D.B. Cooper, a secret that hung over the family but was never openly discussed.
For years, the family kept quiet in fear that speaking out might implicate their mother, Karen, whom they believe was involved in both hijackings.
Gryder – who has researched the D.B. Cooper case for 20 years – documented his findings in a two-part Probable Cause series on YouTube, including footage of discovering the parachute on the McCoy family property in July 2022.
He released a third part on Monday, where he revealed the FBI’s recent efforts in his discoveries.
FBI agents contacted Rick and Gryder to examine the parachute after watching his first two videos, marking the agency's first action on the case since declaring it closed in 2016.
In September 2023, Gryder and Rick traveled to Richmond, Virginia, where they met with FBI agents.
The agents took the harness and parachute into evidence, along with a skydiving logbook found by Chanté that matched the timeline of both hijackings, adding another crucial piece to the investigation.
McCoy's children said they believe his father was the hijacker and that it's been a looming secret in their family.
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A month later, an FBI agent called Rick asking to search the family property in Cove City, North Carolina – where the parachute was discovered.
Rick said the agency looked through "every nook and cranny" of the property, which their mother owned.
The key to the discovery lies in the unique alterations to the parachute, which were well-documented by Earl Cossey, a veteran skydiver who supplied the parachutes for the 1971 hijacking.
Gryder and McCoy’s children believe these specific details provide strong evidence linking him to the D.B. Cooper case.
The FBI has not yet given the family an update on the current status of the case.
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