Hidden Objects: Cash from D.B. Cooper


The National Law Enforcement Museum is no stranger to well-known and unusual cases.
This is a fragment of the $5,800 found by an eight-year-old boy in Washington state, believed to be tied to the ransom money demanded by Dan Cooper, or D.B. Cooper, as he is now known.
On November 24, 1971, Cooper boarded a Northwest Orient airlines flight to Seattle, WA.  Shortly after takeoff, he demanded $200,000 and four parachutes to be delivered to Seattle upon landing.  The authorities complied, and when the plane landed Cooper released the passengers and some of the crew. After receiving the requested money and parachutes, he ordered the pilots to fly the plane to Mexico with very specific requirements for speed and altitude.  Before the plane reached the next destination, Cooper jumped off the aft stairs with two parachutes and the ransom money.
Authorities have followed numerous trails and tips to uncover his alleged drop off to no avail. All that remains are countless conspiracies, his tie, tie tack, and fragments of money.
What do YOU believe happened to D.B. Cooper?
The National Law Enforcement Museum has thousands of law enforcement artifacts in our archives; too many to display at once. We offer this regularly scheduled blog to give you a peek into our archives.