By Tim Binnall
A diligent D.B. Cooper researcher has filed a lawsuit against the FBI in the hopes of gaining access to what he believes could be a breakthrough piece of evidence on the skyjacker's necktie. The intriguing legal action was reportedly launched today by Eric Ulis, who has doggedly investigated the legendary mystery for over decade. At the center of the lawsuit is an adjustable metal spindle attached to the necktie worn by the skyjacker during the infamous caper. Ulis claims to have been told by FBI agents that the moveable nature of the piece had gone unnoticed by authorities and, as such, he argues that it could contain a critical clue that had previously been overlooked or unattainable.
Given the adjustable nature of the spindle, it stands to reason that the skyjacker would have handled it at some point when he got dressed that fateful day back in November of 1972. Therefore, Ulis theorizes, it may still have DNA that came directly from Cooper. To that end, he noted that a partial genetic profile of the skyjacker was procured from that piece of evidence back in 2001, but that "they probably pulled something off of the front of the tie from the fibers." With over two decade of technological advancement, Ultis observed that investigators now have "the ability to pull the smallest amounts of DNA off of metal" pieces such as the spindle.
However, Ulis has been unable to put his theory to the test as an attempt to get his hands on the necktie by way of a Freedom of Information Act request proved futile, which he finds to be particularly frustrating. "They’ve given access to the tie two separate times before to private scientists, private individuals, once in 2009 and once in 2011," the researcher explained, while positing that his avenue of investigation "could actually solve the case." Left with no other option, Ulis filed the lawsuit which asks that the FBI provide him and a DNA specialist with the necktie so that they can try to pull a genetic profile of the skyjacker from the small metal piece. Should that prove successful, the independent investigator believes genetic genealogy could eventually lead to the Cooper's identity.