Tena/Tina Bar, on whose name we cannot even agree -
I stepped away from T-Bar for a while and zeroed in on the DZ, which is a lost cause no matter how you slice it unless some redacted documents suddenly appear. Stepping away is both helpful for clarity and frustrating because the bottom line is, we still have no idea how or why the money got to T-Bar. Let me know what I'm missing, but here's what seems to be established:
- The money was inconsistent with having been in the water. There was no fanning and considerable compression.
- Shards of other money were found further down and along the beach. Conspiracy theories as to how much of the Cooper cash was demonstrably at some time on the beach abound, but the broadest estimates still indicate that the vast majority of the bills are and have always been missing.
- The condition of the money indicates it was not at T-Bar more than 1-2 years, leaving the money's location for 7 years unaccounted for. However, it had to be somewhere that prevented greater deterioration than is shown.
- We do not know the final configuration of the bills on DBC's person when he jumped. We do not know if any of the money was redistributed to his pockets, briefcase, or second sack (of which there is more than adequate testimony of existence). Losing the money or part of it during the jump would be no indication of whether DBC himself survived the jump. If the money was preventing steerability away from drowning, he could even have let it go (though that is definitely counter-intuitive and would only be done in complete desperation.)
- The Washougal washdown and dredge theories have both been scientifically disproven as explanations for the money's arrival on the beach. It did not arrive by water, and it did not arrive via the dredge.
- Most people on here would prefer to think DBC either lived or died and our own confirmation biases will always be a factor. But all the money find really proves is that, alive or dead, DBC did not retain all the money.
The money not having been in the water, though, is the largest factor in my (recent) leaning towards the theory of DBC's survival. Of course, the money could have plunged to land before DB himself plunged to water, but I'm pretty sure the odds are against luck quite that bad. He should have been able to steer landward if he was that close, or washed up if he was only off by feet or yards. Cratering without a crater, without any trace of any of those objects, either on the well-hiked land or in the well-monitored bear habitats, seems even less likely. Going "Ohmigod! They found some of his money! He's dead!" just doesn't work as investigation - and investigation does not support that conclusion yet.
Thanks Flyjack, for looking into the silverfish more. I do want to emphasize that ALL of us have been discussing bugs we know from our lives, which are largely indoors. Of course we think termites and silverfish first - but there could be sand/water bugs that behave very similarly and would produce similar patterns.
I don't know about "smart" bugs, but I saw this on imgur one day. This is obviously a species of forest bug, and it knows which part of the leaf it wants. Again, if we're looking for bugs, I think we're looking for ones that prefer the heavy ink on the outer US $20 of that day. I do notice in looking at some of the FBI bill photos that one of the top compressed bills is curled inwards on top of the others - but its "spotted" damage matches the rest (ie. two types of deterioration, not concurrent.) Only proving the money was not always where it was found. But we already knew that. Identifying the insect involved, if that is even possible at this stage, would only narrow down where it could have been.
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LoginAside from T-Bar, some other considerations:
- Experts have cratered; novices have (as shutter has admirably shown) survived similar jumps.
Proving the likelihood of either survival or death does not identify Cooper. Saying something that proves part of Himmelsbach's, Galen's, Blevins', Colberts', or even Jo's theories true
does not prove their case for Cooper's death or identification with a particular suspect. Do not discount any of what little information we have or can find/logic out merely because it may lend minor credence to an aspect of a theory you otherwise despise. (Where's the baby/bathwater icon, shut?
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- I get frequent messages from infrequent posters afraid to post for fear of ridicule. However incoherent or unlikely, even far-fetched I may find some theories, I also appreciate that this forum consists of:
* scientists, skydivers, researchers, journalists, those personally affected by the mystery, people with weird areas of expertise, people old enough to remember, people young enough to ferret out information and photos on this digital highway, people who just want to know, and those willing to dig up new suspects in their own dreams of being that glorious sleuth that gets our (wo)man.
I think most posters contribute something, either through their ideas or their skepticism and expertise, to this investigation.