Gryder claims this rig matches the type of parachute rig that Cooper used during the hijacking and has handed it over to the FBI.
Describing the parachute as “literally one in a billion,” Gryder confidently stated in his video, “This is the rig he used… we just solved it.”
Who is D. B. Cooper?
The property where the rig was found belongs to the family of the late Richard McCoy Jr., one of the FBI’s prime suspects in the case. McCoy himself staged a nearly identical hijacking in April 1972, demanding $500,000 in ransom and parachuting to escape.
McCoy was killed in a shootout with FBI agents in 1974 after escaping from federal prison.
Investigators have long noted the striking resemblance between McCoy’s photo and a composite sketch of D.B. Cooper. Gryder’s discovery has again reignited speculation that McCoy may, in fact, be Cooper.
FBI Response
Although Gryder has turned the evidence over to the FBI, the agency has not updated the case on its website. Its last statement on the matter, issued in 2016, declared the case “inactive” but left the door open for reopening it if significant physical evidence surfaced.
