A 1971 artist's sketch released by the FBI shows the skyjacker known as 'Dan Cooper' and 'D.B. Cooper'.
The FBI is investigating whether a dead man in the Pacific Northwest is D.B. Cooper, who hijacked a passenger jet in 1971 over Washington state and parachuted with $200,000 in ransom.
Cooper has never been found.
FBI agent Fred Gutt said Monday the bureau is following up a “credible” lead in the unsolved case and is focused on a suspect who died more than 10 years ago.
Gutt said the bureau received a tip from a retired law enforcement source about the dead man possibly being Cooper. FBI agents requested personal effects of the possible suspect, who died of natural causes.
The FBI is trying to find fingerprints or DNA on the dead man’s effects to compare with items the hijacker left behind. The FBI said three years ago that it found DNA evidence on the clip-on tie Cooper left on the plane before he jumped.
Gutt said the FBI has already tested one item of the dead man’s belongings for fingerprints. It was not conclusive. They are now working with surviving family members to gather other items for further testing.
The suspect is someone who has not been previously investigated, and Gutt said initial vetting supported the belief of the tipster. But he cautioned that the new lead may not pan out and that investigators were still pursuing other possibilities.
“Maybe this is just someone else who just happened to look like him and whose life story just kind of paralleled,” Gutt said.
Read the rest of the story here.
Article by Mike Baker and Pete Yost, Associated Press
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Avic Cruz on 
Recent news suggest there was no match in the DNA.
Oh no! I really want to cry–I was so hoping this mystery was finally solved!