Author Topic: Dick Lepsy (missing person)  (Read 381276 times)

Offline Parrotheadvol

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #135 on: October 08, 2015, 04:18:41 PM »
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What the latest with Marla Cooper? Is she still promoting LD as DBC? It was really fun talking with her at the Portland Symposium. What a dynamo.

We could do a calendar of NORJACK beauties. Marla, Musica, and certainly Jo in her younger days. Karen McCoy, Vicki, Carol "Abacadabra" and Orange 1 too. Any other nominations? I'm sure we can find 12.

377

I'm friends with Marla on Facebook. I just took a look at her page. If I had no idea who she was, I could not look at her Facebook page and get any indication of her claims about uncle LD without going way way back.
 

Offline Parrotheadvol

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #136 on: October 08, 2015, 04:25:50 PM »
I stand corrected. I just noticed the image in her sunglasses. Pretty cool, really.

 

Offline 377

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #137 on: October 08, 2015, 05:16:11 PM »
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I stand corrected. I just noticed the image in her sunglasses. Pretty cool, really.



Clever girl that Marla! C L E V E R INDEED...

377
« Last Edit: October 08, 2015, 05:19:07 PM by 377 »
 

Offline MarkBennett

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #138 on: October 08, 2015, 09:34:12 PM »
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I stand corrected. I just noticed the image in her sunglasses. Pretty cool, really.


Wow....I NEVER noticed that image before, and I'm friends with her on Facebook.

Marla seems to have dropped it.  I messaged her a year ago and invited her to join this forum telling her story would be scrutinized , but she wouldn't get the abuse she did on DZ.  She never answered.  A year or so before that I asked her about her book.  She said maybe she'd shoot for the 50th anniversary.  To me, that means should could have added " or never".

The thing with Marla (and I realize this is in the wrong category, so move it if you wish) is I've always wondered what she told the FBI that so interested them in her story.  I don't think she even knows, but it all happened after Carr was no longer on the case and the FBI had returned the case to the back burner.  Even if she no longer suspects her uncle was Cooper, she might have told them something that was never made public.
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #139 on: October 08, 2015, 10:10:13 PM »
I think two things captured the FBI's attention in regard to LD Cooper, and nothing that Marla actually said had anything to do with it.

Here is what I think happened with the FBI:

1. First, the FBI went ga-ga because an FBI agent was touting LD Cooper as DB Cooper. This agent was involved with Marla and her chief investigator, Arlen Dorney, and put the LD dossier in an exalted light. But the FBI agent was a dud. He had no basic information or facts, such as height, weight, hair, build, etc. No DL, no military records, etc., so it fell apart under scrutiny. (Big Question: who was the FBI agent??? Yes, he was allegedly an under-cover cop in the Organized Crime Division, according to Dorney. But, I recently asked the former director of the OCD, Tom Fuentes about this agent, and Tom had nothing substantive to offer.)

2. Marla, herself. As I have written many times, I believe the LD Cooper episode evolved into a Psi-ops thing. I think the FBI realized in June 2011 that Marla could sell their spin job to the public. Goal: bury the DB Cooper legend once and for all. I know at least one women here in Cooper Country who is totally convinced that DB Cooper was a drunk, good ol' boy logger from Sister, Oregon. LD? DB? what's the difference? In some people's mind there is no difference. The need to neutralize cognitive dissonance trumps facts quite often.

Further, Geoffrey participated in this by having his book to come out one week after Marla came out to the world. GG was ubiquitous, appearing on the op-ed pages of both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal on the same day, touting DB Cooper. It all built to a renewed excitement and swirled around the planet. Then, when it died down, GG invited Marla to speak at the Symposium in November, and she was back on the front pages.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2015, 10:12:52 PM by Bruce A. Smith »
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #140 on: October 08, 2015, 10:13:35 PM »
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I stand corrected. I just noticed the image in her sunglasses. Pretty cool, really.



Clever girl that Marla! C L E V E R INDEED...

377

Yup.
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #141 on: October 08, 2015, 10:15:53 PM »
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What the latest with Marla Cooper? Is she still promoting LD as DBC? It was really fun talking with her at the Portland Symposium. What a dynamo.

We could do a calendar of NORJACK beauties. Marla, Musica, and certainly Jo in her younger days. Karen McCoy, Vicki, Carol "Abacadabra" and Orange 1 too. Any other nominations? I'm sure we can find 12.

377

Isn't this a little trashy and sexist, Three-Seven-Seven? Nevertheless, how can you overlook Miss Amazona?
 

Offline EVickiW

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #142 on: October 08, 2015, 11:06:09 PM »
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I stand corrected. I just noticed the image in her sunglasses. Pretty cool, really.


Wow....I NEVER noticed that image before, and I'm friends with her on Facebook.

Marla seems to have dropped it.  I messaged her a year ago and invited her to join this forum telling her story would be scrutinized , but she wouldn't get the abuse she did on DZ.  She never answered.  A year or so before that I asked her about her book.  She said maybe she'd shoot for the 50th anniversary.  To me, that means should could have added " or never".

The thing with Marla (and I realize this is in the wrong category, so move it if you wish) is I've always wondered what she told the FBI that so interested them in her story.  I don't think she even knows, but it all happened after Carr was no longer on the case and the FBI had returned the case to the back burner.  Even if she no longer suspects her uncle was Cooper, she might have told them something that was never made public.

I noticed the image as soon as I became friends with her on Facebook. It is the image she had taken by her agent, Gay Pasley, and will be on the cover of the book she was writing, "DB's Niece: The Hijacked Heart in my Head". The photos were taken in January of 2012.  She finished the book in December of 2012 and sent it out to her agent to shop for a publisher.
You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
 

georger

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #143 on: October 08, 2015, 11:24:15 PM »
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I stand corrected. I just noticed the image in her sunglasses. Pretty cool, really.


Wow....I NEVER noticed that image before, and I'm friends with her on Facebook.

Marla seems to have dropped it.  I messaged her a year ago and invited her to join this forum telling her story would be scrutinized , but she wouldn't get the abuse she did on DZ.  She never answered.  A year or so before that I asked her about her book.  She said maybe she'd shoot for the 50th anniversary.  To me, that means should could have added " or never".

The thing with Marla (and I realize this is in the wrong category, so move it if you wish) is I've always wondered what she told the FBI that so interested them in her story.  I don't think she even knows, but it all happened after Carr was no longer on the case and the FBI had returned the case to the back burner.  Even if she no longer suspects her uncle was Cooper, she might have told them something that was never made public.

For whatever it's worth Im glad you issued the invite. She certainly would be welcome here. She wouldnt be attacked as she was on DZ.
 
« Last Edit: October 09, 2015, 12:08:29 AM by georger »
 

Offline 377

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #144 on: October 09, 2015, 02:55:54 AM »
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What the latest with Marla Cooper? Is she still promoting LD as DBC? It was really fun talking with her at the Portland Symposium. What a dynamo.

We could do a calendar of NORJACK beauties. Marla, Musica, and certainly Jo in her younger days. Karen McCoy, Vicki, Carol "Abacadabra" and Orange 1 too. Any other nominations? I'm sure we can find 12.

377

Isn't this a little trashy and sexist, Three-Seven-Seven? Nevertheless, how can you overlook Miss Amazona?

Of course she's included. I just forgot. Been so long since she posted. Any woman who can do a standup landing under a C-9 canopy is beautiful in my book.

377
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #145 on: October 09, 2015, 04:28:51 PM »
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I stand corrected. I just noticed the image in her sunglasses. Pretty cool, really.


Wow....I NEVER noticed that image before, and I'm friends with her on Facebook.

Marla seems to have dropped it.  I messaged her a year ago and invited her to join this forum telling her story would be scrutinized , but she wouldn't get the abuse she did on DZ.  She never answered.  A year or so before that I asked her about her book.  She said maybe she'd shoot for the 50th anniversary.  To me, that means should could have added " or never".

The thing with Marla (and I realize this is in the wrong category, so move it if you wish) is I've always wondered what she told the FBI that so interested them in her story.  I don't think she even knows, but it all happened after Carr was no longer on the case and the FBI had returned the case to the back burner.  Even if she no longer suspects her uncle was Cooper, she might have told them something that was never made public.

I noticed the image as soon as I became friends with her on Facebook. It is the image she had taken by her agent, Gay Pasley, and will be on the cover of the book she was writing, "DB's Niece: The Hijacked Heart in my Head". The photos were taken in January of 2012.  She finished the book in December of 2012 and sent it out to her agent to shop for a publisher.

Thanks for the update, EVick.

BTW, I just noticed that you are friends with a LOT more people than I.
 

Offline 377

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #146 on: October 09, 2015, 05:13:14 PM »
Marla posted this in June 2013:

"PLEASE WATCH!!!!!
I will make an announcement VERY soon about my book, "DB's Niece: the hijacked heart in my head." You'll be able to purchase it on Amazon. Part of the proceeds will go to The Wounded Warrior Project. Meanwhile, please see the following episode of "America's Book of Secrets" on The History Channel 2. Note: there is a narration script error RE: I never saw either of my two uncles again, which is not correct. Otherwise, It's a good teaser! I hope you enjoy it, and tell your friends!"
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I hope she finds a more efficient charity than Wounded Warrior Project.
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All these DB Cooper relatives, a niece (Marla) , a wife (Jo) and a son (Bradley). Maybe they could have a family reunion?  ;)

It looks like the days of skydiver jet airliner jumps are over. The AmeriJet 727 used for jumps at WFFC is now derelict and for sale with no viable flying future, and Perris Valley DZ just sold their DC-9, the one I jumped from. Soooooo glad I got to skydive from that plane while it was operating as a jumpship.

Airworthy 727s are getting rare. Saw a souped up one at SDF last week, winglets added! It was a cargo ship, no passenger windows and a big freight door forward. Watched it take off, pretty smokey for a 2015 era jet. Might have the old engines still.

There is a Gulfstream exec jet that has an FAA approved mod for dropping skydivers: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Can anyone guess who bought the first G-5 skydiving mod? The paint job in the article gives a possible clue.

Nice WFFC DC 9 exit pic, lots of detail: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
What a fun jump. I was kinda balking at the price, $100 for me and $100 for my camera flyer, but I took the plunge and it was worth every cent.
The DC 9 was a long way from the DZ by the time I exited, but I made it back, just barely. You could see about 85 canopies strung out in long long line.
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377
« Last Edit: October 09, 2015, 07:06:02 PM by 377 »
 

Offline nmiwrecks

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #147 on: October 11, 2015, 10:53:30 AM »
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Thanks,

And I'd like to mention that, of the named suspects for DB Cooper, Lepsy is the closest fit we have to the physical description given by eyewitnesses (something I didn't emphasize in the post).

My takeaway from looking at Lepsy is simply the need to "back engineer" how someone without any skydiving or aviation knowledge could commit this crime. What reference materials, what research, who would they need to talk to, etc. If Himmelsbach is right, and DB Cooper was a copycat, he had two weeks to put everything together. (BTW, I don't think RH is right about that.)
Well put.  The problem is Dick Lepsy has been gone 45 years, and we know nothing about the two years between his disappearance and the skyjacking.  It is also difficult to find detailed information about an obscure individual who hasn't been seen in four decades.  I do know the Lepsy's lived about a mile from the Grayling Army Airfield and Lepsy excelled  in the ROTC Program at his high school, but I can find no record of parachute training at the airfield or in ROTC.

Some of the new information released on this forum recently reflects favorably on Lepsy.  Alice Hancock says the Cooper suspect appears to be "age 38-45", and eyewitness Bill Mitchell says Cooper appeared to be "35 to 40".  Lepsy would have been 35 years old at the time of the skyjacking, but looked like he was in his 40s. 

The interview where Anderson stated that "they had not reached Portland proper but were definitely in the suburbs or immediate vicinity thereof", also sheds an interesting light on the Tina Bar money find and when the Cooper suspect exited the plane.  It strengthens the theory that Cooper landed in the water and did not survive the jump.

"If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got." - Henry Ford
 

Robert99

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #148 on: October 11, 2015, 01:19:59 PM »
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The interview where Anderson stated that "they had not reached Portland proper but were definitely in the suburbs or immediate vicinity thereof", also sheds an interesting light on the Tina Bar money find and when the Cooper suspect exited the plane.  It strengthens the theory that Cooper landed in the water and did not survive the jump.

All believable evidence supports Cooper having jumped just south (upstream) of the money find location at Tina Bar and probably over the Columbia River itself, or within a very few feet of it.

But the fact that the money find location was actually HIGHER than the Columbia River's water level on the evening of November 24, 1971, by itself, proves that Cooper did not land in the river proper.  If he had landed in the river, he would probably have retained enough floatation capability to have drifted downstream (north) of Tina Bar before daybreak.

The above indicates that Cooper landed on solid ground, but within a very few feet of the river, that was a number of feet HIGHER than the point where the money was eventually found at Tina Bar.

The unique nature of the terrain in the Tina Bar area, plus the probable flight path route, suggests that Cooper was a no-pull and died in the jump.  Otherwise, there are major problems in fitting the few known "facts" together in a meaningful manner.

Also, all of the above has been discussed at length previously on this forum and DZ.

 
« Last Edit: October 11, 2015, 01:32:22 PM by Robert99 »
 

georger

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Re: Dick Lepsy (missing person)
« Reply #149 on: October 11, 2015, 02:31:52 PM »
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The interview where Anderson stated that "they had not reached Portland proper but were definitely in the suburbs or immediate vicinity thereof", also sheds an interesting light on the Tina Bar money find and when the Cooper suspect exited the plane.  It strengthens the theory that Cooper landed in the water and did not survive the jump.

All believable evidence supports Cooper having jumped just south (upstream) of the money find location at Tina Bar and probably over the Columbia River itself, or within a very few feet of it.

But the fact that the money find location was actually HIGHER than the Columbia River's water level on the evening of November 24, 1971, by itself, proves that Cooper did not land in the river proper.  If he had landed in the river, he would probably have retained enough floatation capability to have drifted downstream (north) of Tina Bar before daybreak.

The above indicates that Cooper landed on solid ground, but within a very few feet of the river, that was a number of feet HIGHER than the point where the money was eventually found at Tina Bar.

The unique nature of the terrain in the Tina Bar area, plus the probable flight path route, suggests that Cooper was a no-pull and died in the jump.  Otherwise, there are major problems in fitting the few known "facts" together in a meaningful manner.

Also, all of the above has been discussed at length previously on this forum and DZ.

 

well stated -  8)