New Forum & News Updates

[Bruce A. Smith]

...To assume as Bruce is assuming, that one person, Earl Cossey, infected the whole FBI in a major hijacking case and reduced the whole FBI to a group of corrupt mindless drones staggering around in corruption like zombies ... this is a leap of fantasy I can't follow and don't see the facts to warrant! That sounds more like a personal grudge being vented than research to me! I can't see how that provides clarity or helps solve the questions in the DB Cooper case. Am I missing something?       
 

Yes.

[georger]

What are facts?

We seem to disagree, even though this is commonly thought as a "given."

Some facts are in a safe area:

1. The Money - okay. General agreement as to importance of this finding.
2. Placard - okay. Again, generally accepted as an importance piece of evidence.

Not so safe:

3. Actions of the FBI? not so much, according to some. Others give it credence. Is it a "fact"? Hmmmm, depends on whom you talk to, what specific actions are cited, etc.
4. Lying by principals in the investigation, lost evidence, lack of critical action-such as giving DB Cooper a head start of at least 11 hours and probably more, only sending 20 guys into the woods to look for Cooper, silence in the face of questioning/stonewalling/refusal to attend public hearings, etc., smudged fingerprint retrieval, inability of all parties in Reno to remember the clip-on tie, including Tina, etc. Again, some say this is unimportant. Others say it does have some weight. But is it a fact? Maybe, according to some.

Research Quandary:
5. Cultural goggles of researchers. Some researchers claim certain information is fact. Other researchers deny that those pieces of evidence are in fact, Facts, and mock the first set of researchers for being Drahma Queens.

Summation:
So, we have reached a crossroads at the Forum. Some folks say only certain pieces of evidence are facts. Others challenge that perspective and are chided.

Further, some researchers refuse to answer specific questions directed to them at the Forum, often having to do with the FBI. As a result, we have an investigatory failure here. We don't know what facts are facts, and some fact-deniers refuse to talk about their denials.

Conclusion:
Where do we go from here, eh?

I sit here and eat an apple fritter with milk and wait for a phone call from my mother!  Seriously! 

The planet is still moving in its orbit, and the sun will come up in the morning! Seriously! Get a grip!   

[Bruce A. Smith]

Travel Channel

Here's my suggestion to them, once I got my friskees out of my system...


Road Trip II, Travel Channel, 10. 31. 15

Hi Jennifer,

I've composed a few ideas that might make for a good DB Cooper broadcast at the Travel Channel. Some of it is brand-new information on the skyjacking. Other material is never-before-seen-or discussed aspects of the case.

New

I can show you where:
1. FBI technical consultant Earl Cossey was bludgeoned to death on April 23, 2013 in his garage in Woodinville, WA. Although the murder is still unsolved, many believe that the DB Cooper story is involved. Cossey, as a champion skydiver, was the de facto technical expert for the FBI on parachute issues. He was instrumental in helping the FBI develop their investigatory parameters, but, he was a notorious liar, and his many deceits and misleading announcements put him into a very harsh light by the time of his death. Coincidence? One of the many unknowns in the DB Cooper case.

2. Prime DB Cooper suspect Ted Mayfield died of ex-sanguination in August 2015 while working on an experimental aircraft at his Sheridan Airpark, in Sheridan, Oregon. The engine caught, the propeller swirled, and a prop blade struck Mayfield in the arm. Because of his Plavix, he bleed-out before paramedics could reach him, according to his daughter. Mayfield was fingered as DB Cooper by six different people on the night of the skyjacking. Mayfield has an extensive criminal history, incarcerated in the mid-1990s for the death of two of his skydiving students due to irresponsible training, gear and supervision, and is allegedly to blame for an additional 13 deaths at his skydiving school in Sheridan.

3. Cattle mutilations at the Fazio Ranch in Vancouver, WA. The Travel Channel was recently at the Fazio property on Tina Bar where some of the Cooper ransom money was found in 1980. But did you know that in 1991 the Fazios were visited by more strangeness? Six of their cattle were killed in a bizarre manner consistent with what is known as the “Cattle Mutilation Phenomena,” as popularized by NBC correspondent Linda Moulton Howe. The cattle were killed without a struggle, no blood or fluids were found in the carcasses or on site, and only selected organs were removed, such as genitals, eyes, parts of a jaw, etc. Adding to the mystery, the excision was performed by very high-tech electronic surgical instruments and conducted by very skilled technicians. Autopsies by the Oregon State University Department of Veterinary Medicine confirmed the sophisticated techniques, but Clark County Sheriff's deputies were unable to explain the incident. However, several other Cattle Mutilation events occurred in Oregon in the months following the Fazio episode.


Never—Told—Before

I can show you:

1.  The spot on Lake Camas where DB Cooper walked out of the woods, according to Jo Weber, who says her husband, Duane, pointed to the location before he confessed to being DB Cooper.

2.  The promenade at the Red Lion Inn in Vancouver where in 1979 Duane allegedly through the $5,800 in twenties, wrapped in a brown paper sack, into the Columbia River, only to be found five months later downstream at Tina Bar.

3.  The tarmac at Thun Field where Barb Dayton, the first person to confess publicly to the skyjacking, parked her Cessna 140 and told her fellow pilots she was DB Cooper in 1978.

4.  The public restroom where Barb switched from using the men's side to the women's side after her gender-reassignment surgery in 1969.

5.  The hazelnut grove in Woodburn, Oregon where Barb said she landed after parachuting away from Flight 305, and the cistern where she said she buried the money before transferring it to Tina Bar in 1979.

6.  Three miles from Barb's LZ on Mud Pudding Road lies the home of Cooper case agent in Portland, Ralph Himmelsbach. His property features a quarter-mile causeway to his stone, silver and turquoise mansion sitting amidst 40 acres of tulip splendor.

7.  The Carmelite Monastery in Eugene, Oregon where primary witness, Tina Muckow, secluded herself for the first 12 years of a 30-year self-imposed exile, when she refused to talk to anyone about the skyjacking. Even though Tina lived as "Sister Alice for 12 years, the Mother Superior has allegedly said “Tina never really fit in here.”

8.  The neighborhood of Eugene where Tina moved after the convent – living just a few blocks away from where the key witness, Billy Mitchell, lived as a college student.

9.  The half-way house in North Eugene where the FBI's “most promising suspect,” LD Cooper, died in the arms of a professional Santa Claus, Dale Miller, at the latter's haven for ex-cons and alcohol rehabbers.

10.   The Washougal Valley where the co-pilot said he was flying when DB Cooper jumped. Many don't believe 2nd Officer Bill Rataczak, and the pathway of Flight 305 during the skyjacking is both controversial and contentious

[Shutter]

Simulators keep getting better and better....$18,000 buys this one...

[Bruce A. Smith]

Breaking News

Bobby just sent me an email announcing that my email access has been restored. He said it had been blocked once upon a time, but "that was long ago."

Hence, I am anticipating a new exchange of information on Norjak! Allulah Akbar, or words to that effect. My Arabic is a bit rusty these days...please forgive.

[Bruce A. Smith]

Ground Search Update

I just spoke with former Clark County Under-Sheriff Tom McDowell, the guy who led the ground search in LZ-A. He told me that his teams went into the woods on "Friday or Saturday, I can't remember exactly which day, but I remember it was in the afternoon."

This means that DB Cooper had almost a 48-hour head start on his primary pursers.

McDowell was not involved in any establishment of road blocks or checkpoints in the landing zone, even though Tosaw writes that such surveillance was established on the night of the skyjacking "on the main roads between Woodland and Vancouver."

So, if those road blocks were set up AND they weren't created by the local Sheriff department, who put them into place? Or is this wishful thinking on Tosaw's part, and creative license, again, such as he uses with Tina and her account of the skyjacking???

Anyone have information on this?  Thanx.

[Shutter]

Ground Search Update

I just spoke with former Clark County Under-Sheriff Tom McDowell, the guy who led the ground search in LZ-A. He told me that his teams went into the woods on "Friday or Saturday, I can't remember exactly which day, but I remember it was in the afternoon."

This means that DB Cooper had almost a 48-hour head start on his primary pursers.

McDowell was not involved in any establishment of road blocks or checkpoints in the landing zone, even though Tosaw writes that such surveillance was established on the night of the skyjacking "on the main roads between Woodland and Vancouver."

So, if those road blocks were set up AND they weren't created by the local Sheriff department, who put them into place? Or is this wishful thinking on Tosaw's part, and creative license, again, such as he uses with Tina and her account of the skyjacking???

Anyone have information on this?  Thanx.

The first thing they should of done was road blocks, but when did they actually figure out where he jumped?

[Bruce A. Smith]

Ground Search Update

I just spoke with former Clark County Under-Sheriff Tom McDowell, the guy who led the ground search in LZ-A. He told me that his teams went into the woods on "Friday or Saturday, I can't remember exactly which day, but I remember it was in the afternoon."

This means that DB Cooper had almost a 48-hour head start on his primary pursers.

McDowell was not involved in any establishment of road blocks or checkpoints in the landing zone, even though Tosaw writes that such surveillance was established on the night of the skyjacking "on the main roads between Woodland and Vancouver."

So, if those road blocks were set up AND they weren't created by the local Sheriff department, who put them into place? Or is this wishful thinking on Tosaw's part, and creative license, again, such as he uses with Tina and her account of the skyjacking???

Anyone have information on this?  Thanx.

The first thing they should of done was road blocks, but when did they actually figure out where he jumped?

Yes, when was the LZ first determined to be in the Ariel-Amboy area? Himmelsbach writes that it was Thanksgiving Day afternoon, and Tosaw implies it was sometime on the night of the skyjacking, as he says that roadblocks were established that evening on the main roads between Woodland and Vancouver, which is the western flank of the LZ.

GG is silent on the specifics of this question. I'll review Calame and see what he says.

Anyone else?

Right now, according to McDowell, DB had at least a 40-hour head start on the guys closest to him in the woods, if he landed in LZ-A - Buncombe Hollow Rd and Cedar Creek Rd area, which is directly across the river from the Ariel Tavern.

Speaking of which, is anyone going to Ariel this year? I'd love to go for the party - not an overnight, as I don't have the moolah for a BnB or motel.

[Shutter]

I don't think there is any reports of road blocks in any news media of the day?

[georger]

I don't think there is any reports of road blocks in any news media of the day?

You have covered all the "media of the day" ? 

[Bruce A. Smith]

Yo, Three, I heard that there was a skydiving incident in Madera, today. Some guy's chute got tangled?

[Shutter]

the guy who led the ground search in LZ-A. He told me that his teams went into the woods on "Friday or Saturday, I can't remember exactly which day, but I remember it was in the afternoon

Memory problems once again. It's amazing how people actually involved with the case can't recall things, but when it comes to a suspect some of these people can recall things like it was yesterday?

[georger]

the guy who led the ground search in LZ-A. He told me that his teams went into the woods on "Friday or Saturday, I can't remember exactly which day, but I remember it was in the afternoon

Memory problems once again. It's amazing how people actually involved with the case can't recall things, but when it comes to a suspect some of these people can recall things like it was yesterday?

On the other hand, especially where its a breaking case and the FBI is involved, I have yet to see one instance where the FBI and local LE did not set up some kind of road watch or closure whether it be bank robberies, shootings, or even (as we know) in the situation of the fast-breaking Ingram money find where the Fazio's road was closed ... It's standard operating procedure in such matters, if it can be done. 

All kinds of people confirm that the target area looking for Cooper on the night of the hijacking was in the Woodland area and Himms and others helicoptered up there to look for any obvious sign of a suspect (on roads or elsewhere). It was an impossible task due to the weather conditions. Whether road closures and monitoring happened in reality, it certainly would have been discussed on multiple levels. The engineers at NWA monitoring flight communications would have played a major role in suggesting an area to search, and they would have contributed their input as quickly as possible. There is nothing unusual about any of this! Tosaw was a retired FBI agent. He talked to his fellow agents and others, and he is referring to what would have been standard practice as soon as the FBI had a target zone to search, in any event.

Tosaw is merely referring to what law enforcement discussed on the evening, if they didn't put it into action as best they could under the conditions prevailing that evening. And, like in most other cases, law enforcement people as far away as Vancouver and Tacoma and elsewhere were informed (in real time) of the search being conducted that evening. There's no surprise in that!

I suggest you talk to Himmelsbach?   

 
   

[Bruce A. Smith]

I suggest you talk to Himmelsbach?   
 
 

Could you loan me the 600 bucks? I'll pay ya back from my royalties.

Speaking of Ralph, he may not be with us much longer. JT confirms that RH is in failing health.

[Bruce A. Smith]

...I have yet to see one instance where the FBI and local LE did not set up some kind of road watch or closure whether it be bank robberies, shootings, or even (as we know) in the situation of the fast-breaking Ingram money find where the Fazio's road was closed ... It's standard operating procedure in such matters, if it can be done. 

All kinds of people confirm that the target area looking for Cooper on the night of the hijacking was in the Woodland area and Himms and others helicoptered up there to look for any obvious sign of a suspect (on roads or elsewhere). It was an impossible task due to the weather conditions. Whether road closures and monitoring happened in reality, it certainly would have been discussed on multiple levels. The engineers at NWA monitoring flight communications would have played a major role in suggesting an area to search, and they would have contributed their input as quickly as possible. There is nothing unusual about any of this! Tosaw was a retired FBI agent. He talked to his fellow agents and others, and he is referring to what would have been standard practice as soon as the FBI had a target zone to search, in any event.

Tosaw is merely referring to what law enforcement discussed on the evening, if they didn't put it into action as best they could under the conditions prevailing that evening. And, like in most other cases, law enforcement people as far away as Vancouver and Tacoma and elsewhere were informed (in real time) of the search being conducted that evening. There's no surprise in that!
 
   

I asked McDowell if he knew of any other agencies or departments setting up road blocks or check points. He said definitively that he didn't, and wasn't involved in any actions or discussions along those lines - and he was the Under-Sheriff for Clark County. So presumably, the Clark County Sheriff's Department did not establish any surveillance the night of the skyjacking, or know of any. T-Day, either, apparently.

So, who's left? Washington State Patrol? FBI? Vancouver City PD, Woodland City PD, if they have one?

Wouldn't McDowell known about any actions by those departments within his jurisdiction? I think I-5 would have been built in the Woodland-Vancouver area by 1971, so the WSP would have that bailiwick all to themselves, but that's only the highway - what about elsewhere? Further, no one traveling in the area has reported road blocks, such as Meyer Louie and the other folks at the 2011 Symposium who spoke up about the weather.

 Even when the cops started heading into the woods of Friday/Saturday it is unknown if any checkpoints were established by then.

BTW: As I understand Himms in his book, when he and his crew jumped into that Chinook on Wednesday evening he was heading south to catch up with 305, not north to survey Woodland.