New 'Suspect' In Case Of Skyjacker D.B. Cooper: Report

VANCOUVER, WA — Eric Ulis, an investigator who has long been on a mission to solve the mystery of infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper, believes he found “a compelling new person of interest," according to OregonLive.

During a news conference held Friday at Vancouver’s Kiggins Theatre, Ulis claimed that Crucible Steel researcher Vince Petersen could be the man who hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305 in 1971, the outlet reported.

After being forced to abandon his investigation into his previous 'suspect' Sheridan Peterson, who he could not prove smoked cigarettes like Cooper, Ulis focused his efforts on scientific evidence from a tie worn by Cooper and left behind on the plane, according to OregonLive.

Lab analysis found a rare metal on the tie that Ulis said was produced only by Crucible Steel, where he believes Cooper worked under the name Vince Petersen, the outlet reported.

Read the full report on OregonLive.

The Legend Of D.B. Cooper

According to the FBI, on the afternoon of November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper approached the counter of Northwest Orient Airlines in Portland, Oregon, and bought a one-way ticket on Flight #305 to Seattle.

On the flight, he handed the stewardess a note indicating that he had a bomb in his briefcase, the FBI said. Soon after, he told the stewardess to write a note to the captain demanding four parachutes and $200,000 in twenty-dollar bills.

After the flight landed in Seattle and Cooper was given the parachutes and the money, he instructed several crew members to take off again and take him to Mexico City, the agency said.

On the way, between Seattle and Reno, Cooper jumped out of the back of the plane with a parachute and the money, according to the FBI. The pilots landed safely, but Cooper was never seen again.