Man says it's 'extremely possible' his dad was DB Cooper after new evidence uncovered

A man believes it is 'extremely possible' his father may be notorious skyjacker DB Cooper, following a compelling new theory.

Who is DB Cooper? It's a mystery which has baffled everyone from the FBI to internet sleuths and conspiracy theorists over the decades.

On 24 November 1971, a man by the name of 'Dan Cooper' boarded a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, after purchasing a ticket in cash from the airport.

Once the flight was airborne, Cooper handed a note to a flight attendant informing her that he had a bomb and gave her the following list of demands; $200,000 (around £1 million in today's money) and four parachutes.

He allowed the plane to land in Seattle and the other passengers to depart in exchange for the ransom, before ordering the pilot to fly to Mexico. Around 30 minutes after the plane took off, Cooper opened an aircraft door and parachuted out, never to be seen again.

A man named DB Cooper hijacked a plane on Thanksgiving 54 years ago (Bettman/Getty Images)

54 years on from the incident and the case remains the only unsolved plane hijacking in US history, with the hunt for Cooper officially ceasing in 2016.

However this has not stopped amateur detectives and true crime fans from sharing their theories about the case - including a claim from a man named Keith Bagsby, who believes be his father Joe Lakich could have been DB Cooper.

Could Joe Lakich be the mysterious DB Cooper?

The theory that Joe Lakich could be the mysterious DB Cooper was put forward by inventor and a licensed pilot Bill Rollins, who wrote in his 2017 book that the secret to unmasking the identity of Cooper lies in his 'grudge'.

When asked by the flight attendant why he'd chosen to hijack a Northwest Orient Airlines flight, he replied: "It’s not because I have a grudge against your airlines, it’s just because I have a grudge."

While some of the money was later recovered, Cooper was not (Bettman/Getty Images)

Rollins' theory points to the fact that Lakich's daughter Susan had been killed just weeks before by her estranged husband during a botched hijacking. He believes the incident lead to Lakich wanting revenge against the FBI, which he allegedly believed was responsible for her death.

He also believes that Lakich matches the physical descriptions of Cooper and pointed to his military training allowing him to jump from the aircraft.

After writing his book, Rollins later contacted Lakich's son, Keith Bagsby, who acknowledged the theory is 'extremely possible'.

"I could understand Bill’s theory knowing what happened to my sister, but I was skeptical [at first]," he said in a recent interview with MailOnline.

"I believe it’s extremely possible. On one hand, it could’ve been Joe with all the circumstances at hand, but if so, he hid it very well from any of us."

He continued: "The tragedy with Susan greatly affected Joe. He would talk about it from time to time. It genuinely saddened him. [But] we never discussed DB Cooper."

Keith Bagsby says the claim from Bill Rollins that his father is DB Cooper is 'extremely possible' (Facebook/Keith Bagsby)

'Compelling' pieces of evidence

The alleged motivation isn't Rollins' only argument that Joe Lakich is DB Cooper, pointing to a clip-on tie which he left behind on the plane. After being analysed by volunteer scientists known as the Citizen Sleuths, particles of titanium, stainless steel and palladium were found on the tie, materials which suggest Cooper had worked in a metal processing plant.

The fact that Lakich worked at Nashville Electronics, a factory which used several of these particles, is further evidence for Rollins that he was DB Cooper.

The clip-on tie which Rollins believes further links Joe Lakich to DB Cooper, which the FBI were able to get a partial DNA profile from (FBI)

What are the other theories about DB Cooper?

However not everyone believes Rollins' theory, with numerous alternative claims being put forward over the years.

Retired agent Larry Carr, who was in charge of the case between 2006 and 2010, believes Cooper had limited military training and likely didn't survive the jump.

"Plenty of folks have come up with a suspect and then cherry-picked their way backwards to a grudge - but that’s a sure way to back yourself into a hole," he added to MailOnline.

Meanwhile Eric Ulis, who created CooperCon, has dismissed others claiming to be descendants of DB Cooper, previously debunking statements made by siblings Chanté and Richard "Rick" McCoy III about their father in an interview with LADbible.