The deteriorated parachute was discovered between the towns of Ariel and Amboy, Washington, identified as the area where Cooper parachuted out of a Northwest Orient jetliner in 1971 with $200,000 in ransom money, KOIN-TV, Portland, reported.

Agent Larry Carr told the station that after the parachute has been cleaned the FBI is hoping to find a label that would identify it as a companion to the reserve parachute Cooper left behind on the plane.

In 1980, $5,800 of Cooper's ransom money was found by a family on a picnic at a Columbia River beach near Vancouver.

Since then other evidence has been gathered by the FBI including a clip-on tie and clasp Cooper was wearing when he disappeared.

KOIN-TV said FBI agents have been able to extract Cooper's DNA.