New Lead In D.B. Cooper Case

    The F.B.I. says it has a credible new lead in the near-mythical skyjacking case of D.B. Cooper. The lead reportedly involves a "helpful person of interest" and DNA evidence from a tie-clip and cigarette butts, possibly involving a suspect who has been dead for 10 years.. Cooper commandeered a Northwest Airlines flight in 1971 by handing a stewardess a note that said he had a bomb. After collecting $200,000 in ransom, the man who gave his name as Dan Cooper parachuted out of the passenger plane in mid-flight, never to be seen again. This seems like a good opportunity to bust out some vintage "Unsolved Mysteries."

    • Bonus! A clip from Leonard Nimoy's "In Search Of..." Who do you think wins this D.B. Cooper recreation off?

    • A 1971 artist's sketch released by the FBI shows the skyjacker known as 'Dan Cooper' ...

      A 1971 artist's sketch released by the FBI shows the skyjacker known as 'Dan Cooper' and 'D.B. Cooper', was made from the recollections of passengers and crew of a Northwest Orient Airlines jet he hijacked between Portland and Seattle, Nov. 24, 1971, Thanksgiving eve. FBI spokeswoman Ayn Sandalo Dietrich tells The Seattle Times that a law enforcement member directed investigators to a person who might have helpful information on Cooper. (AP Photo/FBI/file)