D.B. Cooper Parachute Packer Killed

SEATTLE (AP) — The man who packed the parachutes used by infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper has been identified as the victim of a homicide in Washington state.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office said Tuesday that 71-year-old Earl Cossey died April 23 of blunt force trauma to the head. The sheriff's office says his daughter found his body Friday when she went to check on him.

Cossey played a bit part in one of the Northwest's most enduring mysteries.

Cooper, whose real identity isn't known, hijacked a plane in 1971. He released the passengers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in exchange for $200,000 and four parachutes.

He jumped out of the plane somewhere near the Oregon state line. No one knows what happened to him.

Cossey was a skydiving instructor, and he packed the parachutes provided to the hijacker.