🚨 SHOCKING REVEAL: After 54 YEARS, the TRUE identity of D.B. Cooper has FINALLY been uncovered! 😱 Who was the mysterious skyjacker who vanished with $200,000? The truth will blow your mind! 🪂

On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 in Portland, Oregon, and pulled off the only unsolved commercial airline hijacking in U.S. history. After demanding $200,000 in ransom and four parachutes, he parachuted from the Boeing 727 over southwestern Washington, vanishing into the night with the cash. Known as D.B. Cooper due to a media misnomer, his identity has eluded the FBI and amateur sleuths for over half a century. In 2025, headlines like “After 54 Years, The TRUE Identity Of ‘D.B. Cooper’ Has Been Revealed” reignited fascination, pointing to new evidence implicating Richard Floyd McCoy Jr. This article examines the hijacking, the latest claims, and whether the mystery is truly solved, drawing on historical records and recent reports.

The D.B. Cooper Hijacking: A Daring Heist

On the eve of Thanksgiving 1971, a man in his mid-40s, dressed in a suit and sunglasses, purchased a one-way ticket to Seattle under the name Dan Cooper. Midway through the flight, he passed a note to stewardess Florence Schaffner, claiming he had a bomb in his briefcase. Calmly sipping bourbon, Cooper demanded $200,000 in $20 bills, four parachutes, and a refueled plane to fly to Mexico City via Reno, Nevada. After landing in Seattle, he released the passengers, collected the ransom and parachutes, and ordered the crew to fly at low altitude with the rear airstair deployed. Around 8 p.m., somewhere over Washington, he parachuted into the stormy night, leaving behind a clip-on tie and eight cigarette butts.

The FBI launched a massive investigation, dubbed NORJAK, interviewing over 1,000 suspects over 45 years. In 1980, an 8-year-old boy found $5,800 of the ransom money along the Columbia River, but no trace of Cooper or the remaining cash was ever recovered. The case, closed in 2016, became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring books, films, and endless theories about Cooper’s fate and identity.

The 2025 Claim: Richard Floyd McCoy Jr.

In April 2025, YouTube videos and news outlets like Daily News and Cowboy State Daily proclaimed that the D.B. Cooper mystery was solved, pointing to Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., a Vietnam veteran and seasoned skydiver. The breakthrough centered on a military parachute found in 2022 by aviation analyst Dan Gryder in an outbuilding on McCoy’s family property in North Carolina. Gryder, supported by McCoy’s children, Chanté and Richard III (“Rick”), claimed this parachute, a Model NB6 (Navy Backpack 6), matched one used in the Cooper hijacking. Rick McCoy also provided DNA evidence to the FBI, hoping to confirm his father’s involvement, following the 2020 death of his mother, Karen, who allegedly confessed to assisting in both the Cooper hijacking and a similar 1972 heist by McCoy.

McCoy, a former Green Beret, executed a near-identical skyjacking on April 7, 1972, demanding $500,000 and parachutes before jumping from a United Airlines Boeing 727 over Provo, Utah. Arrested three days later with the ransom money, he was sentenced to 45 years, escaped prison in 1974, and was killed in a shootout with FBI agents. McCoy’s resemblance to the Cooper sketch, his parachuting expertise, and Karen’s alleged confession—claiming she helped plan both heists—make him a compelling suspect. Gryder argues McCoy wore a disguise to appear older, countering witness descriptions of Cooper as mid-40s, while McCoy was 27 in 1971.

Supporting Evidence and Challenges

The parachute discovery is significant, as the FBI noted Cooper took two parachutes, one of which was an NB6, now displayed at the Washington State Historical Society Museum. Gryder’s find, described as “one in a billion,” strengthens the case, as does McCoy’s military background and the 1972 hijacking’s similarities to Cooper’s. A 2014 Delft University study supports the feasibility of survival, suggesting Cooper could have landed near Battle Ground, Washington, if he jumped around 11:30 p.m., aligning with debris found near Angel Island.

However, challenges persist. The FBI ruled McCoy out years ago, citing physical differences (e.g., wider ears) and his location during the 1971 hijacking. Ten witnesses described Cooper as older, and McCoy, a devout Mormon, reportedly did not smoke or drink, unlike Cooper, who smoked Raleigh cigarettes and drank bourbon. Gryder counters that McCoy could have faked these habits as part of a disguise, but this lacks concrete evidence. The FBI’s 2016 case closure and lack of response to Gryder’s evidence suggest skepticism, and DNA from Cooper’s tie, analyzed in 2024, has not conclusively matched McCoy.

Alternative Suspects and Theories

Over the years, suspects like Kenneth Christiansen, a Northwest Orient purser and former paratrooper, and Robert Rackstraw, a Vietnam veteran with cryptology training, have been proposed. Christiansen matched witness descriptions and smoked, but stewardess Schaffner could not conclusively identify him. Rackstraw, linked to coded letters sent post-hijacking, was ruled out in 1979 but championed by investigator Thomas Colbert, who claimed in 2018 that Rackstraw admitted his identity in ciphers. Walter Reca, another paratrooper, was named in a 2018 memoir based on a recorded confession, but the FBI found no link. Each theory, while intriguing, lacks the “smoking gun” needed to close the case.

Recent investigations, led by sleuth Eric Ulis, focus on Cooper’s tie, purchased from JCPenney in 1964, which contained stainless steel and titanium particles traced to a Pittsburgh factory. Ulis posits that Cooper, possibly engineer Vince Peterson, worked at Boeing during a 1971 downturn, explaining his aviation knowledge. However, DNA analysis from the tie remains inconclusive, and Peterson’s death in 2002 complicates verification.

Cultural Impact and Public Fascination

The D.B. Cooper case endures as a cultural touchstone, celebrated for its audacity and mystery. Cooper’s non-violent approach—described as “James Bond-esque” by Ulis—made him an anti-hero, inspiring Netflix’s D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! and events like CooperCon. Posts on X, such as @DramaAlert’s November 2024 claim about McCoy, reflect ongoing public intrigue, though community notes highlight his prior elimination as a suspect. The case’s allure lies in its ambiguity: did Cooper survive the jump, live quietly, or perish in the wilderness?

The 1980 discovery of $5,800 in ransom money, partially buried along the Columbia River, and diatom analysis suggesting it entered the water months after the hijacking, supports theories that Cooper lost the cash during or after the jump. Gryder’s 2021 reenactment demonstrated that the 22-pound money bag could have slipped from Cooper’s grasp, explaining the find and McCoy’s motive for a second heist.

Ongoing Investigations and Skepticism

The FBI’s 2016 closure prioritized resources elsewhere, but the U.S. Marshals Service and private investigators like Gryder and Ulis continue the hunt. The 2022 parachute find and McCoy’s DNA submission to the FBI, reported by Cowboy State Daily, offer hope, but without a conclusive match, the case remains open. Critics argue that the 2025 claims recycle old theories, with McCoy’s elimination by the FBI undermining their weight. The sensational headlines, amplified by YouTube videos from April to June 2025, risk oversimplifying a complex mystery.

Conclusion: Solved or Still Elusive?

The 2025 claim that Richard Floyd McCoy Jr. is D.B. Cooper, backed by a parachute and family confessions, is compelling but not definitive. The evidence—McCoy’s expertise, the parachute, and his 1972 copycat heist—suggests a strong connection, yet the FBI’s prior dismissal and lack of DNA confirmation leave room for doubt. Alternative suspects and the tie’s clues keep the mystery alive, as does the public’s fascination with Cooper’s daring escape.

Whether McCoy or another, D.B. Cooper’s legacy endures, a symbol of cunning and defiance. As investigations continue, rely on credible sources like the FBI, USGS, or major news outlets for updates. The truth about Cooper may still be out there, waiting to land.