Coopericane

We know they wanted McCoy's DNA back in '04... but the FBI files seemed to express some doubt over if they could get his family to cooperate. Now we know that they actually refused DNA tests until after Karen's death in 2020 so I don't think they ever compared his DNA to the old partial profile. With McCoy's family now cooperating, I would assume the FBI is following up on that and the new information from Rick. They never did get to test his DNA (as far as I know) and considering how invested they were in McCoy as a suspect it makes sense for them to do so. I don't expect McCoy to be Cooper... but hopefully these whispers are the sign of them having something more. Maybe there's a new, better source of DNA and they want to compare it to some old suspects just to see if they get a match.

The lyrics are making me think Braden - but he's not a perfect fit, and if there is some kind of deeper musical hint as to who REDACTED is supposed to be I'm not picking up on it!

If L. D. Cooper was investigated back in 71, why does he have the very last subject file? Was he simply not considered worthy of one at the time?

I wonder who this very redacted tip is about.

I also noticed these two new (?) instances of witnesses (Lysne and Williams - Lysne's name is accidentally misspelled and unredacted in one spot, and the second witness presumably has to be Williams since their redacted name is longer?) picking out people they thought resembled Cooper, though the people's names are unfortunately redacted.

There are new pictures of Al Cooper in the latest Vault and he's a damn good match for both sketches. Easy to see what the stews saw in him.

And why steal boots when you're already wearing them?

https://vault.fbi.gov/D-B-Cooper /d.b.-cooper-part-86/view

Skyjack, page 38

Does anyone know what ages Dennis Lysne and Hal Williams were in 1971?

Maybe this is the wrong interpretation, but I've always thought it meant the word "MISS" was literally printed? Like, it was printed onto a piece of paper using a typewriter, and then the rest of the note was handwritten. Maybe I'm being too literal, but that's how it comes across to me.

Hmm. I'd always assumed it was referring to that same letter since it's the only place in the 302s with the number code Bruce refers to. But you're right that those details don't match up. Perhaps some further digging is in order.

It sounds like the FBI dismissed the letter writer as being too young (or old?).

No, I don't know how he came to this guy... I am just trying to figure out who this mysterious loadmaster was! Is this the same guy from the 302s I posted? He fits the yearbook story and "Art" seems like it would fit the instances of his redacted (nick)name... but Edwards said he came to the FBI's attention in the 70's, and that note was sent in 1997. And holy cow, those are some big and prominent ears!

The only place I could find "loadmaster" in the FBI files is in this mysterious two-page note, though it doesn't match all the details of Dr. Edward's story, so I'm skeptical it's the right person. The suspect was apparently alive and well until at least 1984.