New effort to solve D.B. Cooper mystery

SEATTLE, April 21 (UPI) -- The FBI says it needs the public's help in finding out what happened to hijacker D.B. Cooper, who bailed out over Washington state in 1971 with $200,000 cash.

Despite collecting only one box of evidence in more than 36 years, the FBI remains hopeful something will turn up to solve the mystery, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

"We are confident the case can still be solved with this new emphasis," Laura Laughlin, special agent in charge of the Seattle division of the FBI, told the Times. "This investigation has truly become a joint effort of the public, the media and law enforcement,"

Larry Carr is the newest in a line of about a dozen FBI agents assigned to the case since Nov. 24, 1971, when Cooper hijacked a jetliner and parachuted out with a ransom of $200,000 in $20 bills.

Carr says he asked to take the case when the last agent moved on six months ago.

"How could you not?" he said to the Times. "It's the ultimate mystery."