Was DB Cooper grief-stricken father out to embarrass FBI?

August 2024 ยท 5 minute read
DB Cooper, one of the 20th century's most compelling masterminds, hijacked a Boeing 727 at Seattle-Tacoma airport in 1971 and held its crew and passengers hostage, demanding $200,000 before parachuting out the plane

DB Cooper, one of the 20th century's most compelling masterminds, hijacked a Boeing 727 at Seattle-Tacoma airport in 1971 and held its crew and passengers hostage, demanding $200,000 before parachuting out the plane

A new theory in the 46-year-old DB Cooper cold case says the legendary hijacker could have been a grief-stricken father out to embarrass the FBI.

Bill Rollins, a New Hampshire engineer and amateur sleuth, says he believes the unknown man who demanded a $200,000 ransom before jumping out of the back of a Northwest Boeing 727 is Joseph S Lakich, who died just last month at age 95.

Lakich was the father of a murdered woman named Susan Giffe and he wanted to make the Federal Bureau of Investigation look bad after they botched negotiations in her release. 

Posing as a doctor with a patient in October 1971, George Giffe Jr dragged his screaming, young wife, Susan, aboard a private plane in Nashville.

He forced the pilot to fly to Jacksonville, then killed his wife, the pilot and himself when cornered by the FBI.

A US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the FBI negligent in the case regarding the two people that had been allowed off the plane to negotiate with agents before the shootings.

One of them, co-pilot Randall Crump, testified that FBI agents refused to speak with him when he was allowed off the plane.

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Bill Rollins, a New Hampshire engineer and amateur sleuth, says he believes the man responsible for the hijacking to be Joseph S Lakich (second from left), a father who was grieving for his daughter and who wanted to embarrass the FBI. Lakich died just last month at age 95

Bill Rollins, a New Hampshire engineer and amateur sleuth, says he believes the man responsible for the hijacking to be Joseph S Lakich (second from left), a father who was grieving for his daughter and who wanted to embarrass the FBI. Lakich died just last month at age 95

Susan Lakich-Giffe (pictured in crime scene photo) was shot by her estranged husband after he dragged her aboard a private plane in Nashville and hijacked it to Jacksonville. The FBI was found negligent after botching negotiations

Susan Lakich-Giffe (pictured in crime scene photo) was shot by her estranged husband after he dragged her aboard a private plane in Nashville and hijacked it to Jacksonville. The FBI was found negligent after botching negotiations

Rollins believes that DB Cooper, who hijacked the Boeing 727 in November 1971, was not a career criminal and that he didn't even want the ransom money, but just that he was a man with a grudge (Pictured, the Northwest plane that was hijacked)

Rollins believes that DB Cooper, who hijacked the Boeing 727 in November 1971, was not a career criminal and that he didn't even want the ransom money, but just that he was a man with a grudge (Pictured, the Northwest plane that was hijacked)

Despite, a longtime running investigation of suspects and motives, no definitive conclusions have ever been reached regarding Cooper's true identity or whereabouts. 

Lakich, however, appears to have been an upright citizen, having a successful military career, including serving in World War II and retiring as a major in the 1960s.

But Rollins says he reached his conclusion by looking at the case from a different angle.

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'I figured it out because I understood the emotions,' he told The Oregonian. 'No amount of science is going to get you to this man because he didn't leave enough evidence.'

Rollins believes that DB Cooper was not a career criminal and that he didn't even   want the ransom money.

'All I knew is I was looking for someone who had suffered a tragedy and had a grudge,' Rollins said.

This supposition about motive came from an interview that federal agents conducted with Tina Mucklow, one of the Northwest flight attendants, who recalled asking Cooper if he had a grudge against the airline. 

Cooper's response: 'I don't have a grudge against your airline. I just have a grudge.'

This supposition about motive came from an interview that federal agents conducted with Tina Mucklow (right), one of the Northwest flight attendants, who recalled asking Cooper if he had a grudge against the airline. Cooper's response: 'I don't have a grudge against your airline. I just have a grudge'

This supposition about motive came from an interview that federal agents conducted with Tina Mucklow (right), one of the Northwest flight attendants, who recalled asking Cooper if he had a grudge against the airline. Cooper's response: 'I don't have a grudge against your airline. I just have a grudge'

However, there are inconsistencies. Lakich lived and worked in Tennessee, more than 2,000 miles from where the plane was hijacked at Seattle-Tacoma Airport (Pictured, a Northwest Boeing 727 like the one hijacked by Cooper with an arrow showing where he parachuted from)

However, there are inconsistencies. Lakich lived and worked in Tennessee, more than 2,000 miles from where the plane was hijacked at Seattle-Tacoma Airport (Pictured, a Northwest Boeing 727 like the one hijacked by Cooper with an arrow showing where he parachuted from)

It's widely believed that Cooper - whose real identity remains unknown and who was never seen again after the heist - died of exposure in the woods between Oregon and Washington

It's widely believed that Cooper - whose real identity remains unknown and who was never seen again after the heist - died of exposure in the woods between Oregon and Washington

From there he looked for people who might have been angry at aviation officials or federal law enforcement, potentially even the US government in general.

Rollins says Lakich's military experience means he could pull off a difficult operation such as the hijacking. Additionally, his age and appearance line up with descriptions of the hijacker.

However, there are inconsistencies. Lakich lived and worked in Tennessee, which is more than 2,000 miles from where the plane was hijacked at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Additionally, the skyjacking happened less than two months after his daughter's death.

There is also the instance of death. Lakich died just last month and the FBI believes Cooper died from his high-risk nighttime parachute leap into rainy weather although a body has never been found.

In July 2016, the FBI said it was no longer actively pursuing its investigation into the notorious case, but continues to request that any physical evidence that might emerge related to the parachutes or the ransom money be submitted for analysis.

 

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