Good Samaritan could hold key to solving murder of man who packed D.B. Cooper parachutes
May 30, 2013, 12:39 PM | Updated: 5:29 pm
A Good Samaritan who found and returned identification and bank cards belonging to a murdered Woodinville man may hold the key to solving the case, a King County detective said Thursday.
Earl J. Cossey, 71, was found dead in his Woodinville home on Friday, April 26. He was last seen alive that Monday and was killed that Tuesday, according to the medical examiner. The cause of death was blunt-force trauma.
Cossey was an avid parachutist and pilot who packed the parachutes used by D.B. Cooper, the infamous airplane hijacker, in 1974.
Several cards belonging to Cossey were found and mailed to his home sometime between the day he died and the day his body was discovered, Det. Jake Pavlovich said at a news conference.
The location where the items were discovered could provide a crucial lead in the case, he said.
“Whoever found them mailed them back anonymously and I would love to know where it was they found them,” Det. Pavlovich said. “There may be video evidence there or other people who witnessed it.”
The items were mailed back to the home along with a handwritten letter from the person who found them. An envelope contained no return address or name; only a postmark that indicated the letter was sorted through a major distribution center in Everett, Det. Pavlovich said.
The person who found the items is not a suspect in the murder, he said.
Wayland Cossey, the victim’s son, announced a $1,000 reward for the person who found the items and up to a $2,500 reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest in the case.
“He was an incredible father to my sister and me,” Cossey said. “He did not deserve what happened to him and our family has suffered greatly with his loss.”
Cossey said his father was a beloved teacher and coach at Leota Junior High School who spent his retirement managing rental properties. He said he does not believe his father’s murder has anything to do with his connection to the D.B. Cooper case.
“That was four decades ago; has nothing to do with this case,” Wayland Cossey said.
Those with information about the murder are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
