A man is supporting a researcher’s intriguing proposal that the infamous skyjacker DB Cooper, whose true identity remains a mystery, could be his father.
Bill Rollins, an inventor, certified pilot, and author, suggests that Cooper might actually be Joe Rakic from Nashville. Interestingly, Rakic’s daughter, Susan, was kidnapped and tragically murdered by her estranged husband just weeks before Cooper’s headline-making flight on November 24, 1971.
Keith Bagsby, Rakic’s son, has commented that this theory holds a certain validity.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Bagsby said, “Given the circumstances, I think it’s quite possible that Joe was involved. But if that’s the case, he did a great job of keeping it hidden from all of us.”
In a separate incident, Susan was coerced onto a private plane by George Giff, who posed as a doctor transporting a patient.
However, when Giff attempted to present his credentials, he brandished a .45 caliber pistol, demanding the pilot fly towards the Bahamas. Fortunately, the pilot cleverly opted for a landing in Jacksonville, Florida, where FBI agents awaited with guns drawn.
Gunfire was heard from the plane during the standoff, leading to the discovery that Giff had killed both Susan and the pilot.
Rollins mentioned to the Daily Mail that Rakic might have been trying to embarrass federal officials by pointing out their mishandling of the situation.
DB Cooper is notorious for hijacking a plane and vanishing with $200,000 in cash.
Members of Rakic’s family have begun to entertain Rollins’s claims, with some suggesting there may be more to his narrative.
Bagsby reflected, “After considering the theory closely and reading through Rollins’s book, it felt plausible.”
“The events surrounding Susan deeply affected Joe. He talked about it occasionally. It brought him a lot of sadness,” Bagsby added, though he was unable to provide further comments since he had already lost his father.
Described as a well-dressed man in his mid-40s, DB Cooper is shrouded in mystery beyond that. On the 1971 Northwest Orient Airlines flight from Portland, he handed a stewardess a note declaring he had a bomb in his suitcase.
When asked why he targeted that specific flight, Cooper coolly replied, “It’s not because I have a grudge against your airline. I just have a grudge.”
After landing in Seattle, Cooper released the 36 passengers in exchange for four parachutes and the cash. He instructed the plane to head for Mexico City but ultimately leaped from it with the ransom at an altitude of 10,000 feet somewhere between Seattle and Reno.
Rollins could not be contacted for a response.
