prosecutor that Rackstraw had charisma to burn. He came to the attention of the Cooper task force in February 1978, after he was arrested in Iran and deported to the U.S. to face explosives possession and check kiting charges. In November 1971, a ‘non-descript man’ identifying himself as Dan ‘DB’ Cooper bought a $20 ticket for a Northwest Orient flight from Portland to Seattle, later demanding $200,000 ransom and a parachute in what would become one of the most infamous cold cases of all time – and the only unsolved skyjacking in US history. Rackstraw was a veteran with extensive military training, serving in the National Guard, the Reserve, the Army, and served in one of the most decorated combat divisions in the US Army, the 1st Calvary Division, in Vietnam in 1969, A tie left behind by DB Cooper on the plane helped to eliminate several hundred suspects of the FBI investigation, following DNA tests, Badly decomposed $20 dollar bills were found near where Cooper is said to have landed. 'He appears to be fully capable of successfully affecting the NORJAK hijacking.'. Born in Ohio in 1943, the high-school “He did [stuff] like that all the time,” Hunt said. He has spent several years conducting his own investigation into the mysterious crime, writing a book and producing a documentary series on it in the process. ‘Could have been, could have been,’ Rackstraw responded. Cooper. late 1960s before being run out of the military for lying and other misconduct. In the late 1970s, the FBI considered Colbert believes the FBI still hasn't taken action on any of the team's efforts despite what they provided them. But when agents went silent after delivering five dug-up materials, it led the organizer to conclude that the federal agency was abashed that a group of independent investigators may have solved the crime. “I told everybody I was (the hijacker),” Rackstraw said, before revealing that it was all a stunt. without resolution in 2016. every time.” A few years ago, Sueyres gave an updated opinion: “I have dealt with a number of clever However, he was ultimately acquitted. 'Have them sign under the penalty of perjury that everything they stated was true,' he added. That is just how dumb this government is. Cooper hijacking case, passed away Tuesday morning. Cooper, Hijacker D.B. Cooper. He spent almost two years in prison. President Trump would not be the first President to boycott the inauguration of his successor who is sworn in by a Chief Justice with the first name of John, Livid Luongo Lashes Out At Democrat “Depravity” Playing Out In Real-Time, You Can Now Pay $125,000 A Ticket For An Underwater Expedition To The Titanic. When the flight landed in Seattle, Cooper successfully traded the hostages for the cash with the FBI, ordering the Northwest pilot to take off once more in the direction of Mexico City. The comments below have not been moderated. 'Could have been, could have been,' Rackstraw responded. One photo was taken the year before the November 24, 1971 hijacking, and the other a month before. $('[data-toggle="tooltip"]').tooltip(); ', FBI agents scour the sand of a beach of the Columbia River, searching for additional money or clues on February 13, 1980, nine years into the D.B. The Libertarian Hub makes no claims of ownership of any imported photos/images and shall not be held liable for any unintended copyright infringement. In 1979, TV Reporter Warren Olney of KNBC spoke to Rackstraw, and asked him: “Are you willing to state one-way or the other whether or not you’re DB Cooper?” According to the transcript, Rackstraw responded: “Uh, I’m afraid of heights [smiling].”, Olney pressed Rackstraw further for details: “You have parachute training and, and uh, as you mentioned yourself your, your background suggests that you could have been DB Cooper.” Rackstraw responded, “Could have been, could have been.”, Who is D.B. With a wry smile visible across his face, he told the KNBC reporter, ‘Uh, I’m afraid of heights’. External images are deleted after 30 days. Although he was never formally charged, Rackstraw had been a longtime suspect in the case. However, in a phone interview last year following Colbert's accusation, Rackstraw said: 'There's no denial whatsoever, my dear. Rackstraw was a veteran with extensive military training, serving in the National Guard, the Reserve, the Army, and served in one of the most decorated combat divisions in the US Army, the 1st Calvary Division, in Vietnam in 1969, A tie left behind by DB Cooper on the plane helped to eliminate several hundred suspects of the FBI investigation, following DNA tests. There's Hunter! Visit https://dailycaller.com, Your email address will not be published. The package was edited, but 'inexplicably shelved' for broadcast. Dumas’ 19th-century novel “The Three Musketeers.”, Colbert wrote a 2016 book about Rackstraw, “The Last Master Outlaw.” He also produced a History Channel documentary about his investigation, “D.B. “Our condolences to the family.”, https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/07/robert-rackstraw-db-cooper-suspect-with-various-bizarre-oregon-connections-dies-at-75.html, Time-Line: How Sleuths Exposed D.B. The reported added that his parachute training in the military means he 'could've been DB Cooper'. Colbert is adamant the FBI was too hasty to wrap up the investigation and now says the revelation of the hidden messages, especially the links to the CIA, proves why the agency has been stonewalling. ‘I want out of the system and saw a way through good ole Unk,’ he writes. CBS NEWS: Has vet’s “remarkable” code-breaking found Cooper? After calmly drinking a bourbon, Cooper slid a note to the flight attendant, revealing that he had a bomb in his black attaché case. In November 1971, a 'non-descript man' identifying himself as Dan 'DB' Cooper bought a $20 ticket for a Northwest Orient flight from Portland to Seattle, later demanding $200,000 ransom and a parachute in what would become one of the most infamous cold cases of all time – and the only unsolved skyjacking in US history. (And please tell the lackey cops D.B. 'When I got it, I noticed it was typed just like (a different Cooper letter), so I called a code breaker and showed it to him. Cooper — and that it contains a confession from Vietnam veteran Robert Rackstraw, long suspected of … FBI documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. natural causes. Our team of experienced, full-time reporters and editors works around the clock to deliver award-winning original reporting, in-depth investigations, entertainment, thought-provoking commentary and up-to-the-second breaking news. But just who is Robert Rackstraw? The first, he claims, came in September 2016 when a Good Morning America reporter phoned Colbert for an interview on the Cooper case. Colbert claims that retired Assistant FBI Director Tom Fuentes, now a CNN commentator, was a key figure in the alleged cover up. Colbert believes the military gave him all the skills he needed to pull off the extraordinary heist. Another member of the investigation team confirmed Sherwood's findings. No, The Wuhan Virus Won’t Cause A U.S. Population Decli... Bill Barr Flames ‘Unremitting Assault’ On Religion, Tra... “I Am Done, I’ll Not Vote Again” – One Middle-American Mom Rages At “Real-Life Idiocracy”, Biden And Harris Declare Victory In Race For The Presidency, Trump Campaign To Challenge Mail-In Ballots Counted In Absence Of GOP Observers In Battlefield States, "Meet The New Resistance" - Mark Levin Rages At Democrats' "Cloward-Piven" Chaos Plan, Iraq Daily Roundup: Three Killed, Including Protesters, What Biden’s Foreign Policy Might Look Like, In 1940, the United States Decided To Rule the World, FF 253 - Voices from Death Row with Michael Braxton aka Alim, Ep. Your email address will not be published. Cooper hijacking case, passed away Tuesday morning. He has spent several years conducting his own investigation into the mysterious crime, writing a book and producing a documentary series on it in the process.