Fact Check: "D.B. Cooper was never identified."
What We Know
D.B. Cooper, also known as Dan Cooper, hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 on November 24, 1971. He demanded $200,000 in ransom and four parachutes, which he received after landing in Seattle. After releasing the passengers, Cooper parachuted from the plane and has never been conclusively identified or found since that day (FBI, Wikipedia). The FBI conducted an extensive investigation, considering over 800 suspects, but ultimately did not reach any definitive conclusions about Cooper's identity or fate (History, Britannica).
In 1980, a portion of the ransom money was discovered, but it did not provide any clues about Cooper's identity (D.B. Cooper Hijacking). The FBI officially suspended its investigation in July 2016, marking the case as one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in U.S. history (D.B. Cooper, FBI Records).
Analysis
The claim that "D.B. Cooper was never identified" is supported by a wealth of evidence. The FBI's extensive investigation, which lasted for decades, did not yield any conclusive evidence regarding Cooper's identity. Despite numerous theories and suspects, including Richard Floyd McCoy, who was ruled out due to discrepancies in physical descriptions and other factors, no one has been definitively linked to the hijacking (FBI, History).
While there have been recent claims and theories suggesting potential identities for Cooper, such as those presented in articles from Popular Mechanics and The Guardian, these are speculative and do not provide definitive proof. The overwhelming consensus among credible sources remains that Cooper's true identity has not been established, and the case remains unsolved (Britannica, History).
Conclusion
The verdict is True. D.B. Cooper was never identified. Despite extensive investigations and numerous suspects, no conclusive evidence has emerged to reveal his identity or fate. The case continues to be one of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries in American history.
Sources
- D.B. Cooper Hijacking
- FBI Records: The Vault — D. B. Cooper
- D. B. Cooper
- D.B. Cooper Identified? Confession May Reveal the Real Skyjacker
- Who Was the Mysterious Hijacker D.B. Cooper?
- D.B. Cooper | Hijacking, Investigation, Parachute, Money ...
- Has Eric Ulis finally worked out the true identity of D.B ...
- After 50 years of mystery, siblings claim hijacker DB ...