D.B. Cooper: FBI Lost Key Evidence That Could Identify Thief

New revelations claim the FBI may have identified the famous D.B. Cooper airplane thief, but crucial evidence that could make their case was lost, says Geoffrey Gray.

Geoffrey Gray

Published Aug. 2 2011 11:06PM EDT

articles/2011/08/02/d-b-cooper-fbi-lost-key-evidence-that-could-identify-thief/DB-cooper-gray-box_jtfggh — B. Pepone / Corbis (inset); FBI / AP Photos

The biggest mystery in the D.B. Cooper case now is not the identity of the new suspect the FBI deemed “credible” and now seems to have fizzled out, but the location of eight Raleigh filter-tipped cigarette butts.

When bureau agents first searched the Northwest Orient plane after it was hijacked in...

Geoffrey Gray

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D.B. Cooper: FBI Lost Key Evidence That Could Identify Thief

New revelations claim the FBI may have identified the famous D.B. Cooper airplane thief, but crucial evidence that could make their case was lost, says Geoffrey Gray.

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Geoffrey Gray

D.B. Cooper: FBI Lost Key Evidence That Could Identify Thief

New revelations claim the FBI may have identified the famous D.B. Cooper airplane thief, but crucial evidence that could make their case was lost, says Geoffrey Gray.

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For a limited time—$29 unlocks this article (and a year of coverage) during our Election Sale.

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Geoffrey Gray