The Women in the Case

❓️ A question asked frequently about the D. B. Cooper hijacking cold case is: Why aren't there more women following this unsolved mystery?

🎧 This question is asked by host Darren Schaefer on every episode of The Cooper Vortex podcast. The Vortex - that is, the largely online community of researchers, theorists and mystery fans who listen to Cooper podcasts, read Cooper books, and investigate D. B. Cooper's true identity - is full of men. At first, it seems rare to find women following the case.

☯️ This disparity seems a pity, because the more diverse and varied knowledge, experiences, and ways of thinking we have among all the members of the Vortex, the stronger the Vortex as a crowd-source for helping to hopefully solve this case!

Is the Cooper mystery overwhelmingly more interesting to men? Is an aviation and parachuting crime somehow more appealing to males? Is the Vortex equally welcoming to women? If D. B. Cooper were female, would more women be interested in this cold case?

🕵‍♀️ The existence of all my amazing, highly intelligent, knowledgeable and talented female friends in the Vortex shows me that this apparent gender imbalance is not completely true. Still, there are certainly more men than women commenting in most of the online forums, though. Fewer ladies are well-known yet as top investigators and researchers on this case of the unidentified hijacker. Currently, all the Cooper podcasts and Cooper YouTube channels that I've seen are run by men, and the vast majority of Cooper-related blogs likewise. 

📢 A big difference, then, is that men are largely more vocal, and more publicly visible in the Vortex. Women are present, but mostly quieter and more private. Several brilliant ladies have featured on D. B. Cooper podcasts, and presented recently at D. B. Cooper conferences. There are also now more books by female authors writing about the Cooper mystery than in the past. Still, the majority of women in the Vortex don't seem motivated to follow suit yet.

Expert D. B. Cooper investigative researchers Patricia Boland and Dr Karen Humes both presented at 2024's D. B. Cooper Conference in Seattle, Washington.

✈️ Why is this? Aren't women as interested in this "manly" aviation and parachuting crime, as some have speculated? Clearly some ladies are, though! Or aren't they equally comfortable and confident as men in Vortex spaces? Potentially. Perhaps a brief look at the history of women in this case will suggest some possible answers.

🔎 All the FBI case agents that handled this case, as far as we know, were men. Anyone watching documentaries about the unsolved Cooper mystery would see mainly men speaking about it. The most prominent ladies to figure in the case until quite recently were the one and only female suspect; and two other ladies each promoting a relative as being the real Cooper. All three attracted a lot of attention, and are still famous in the Vortex today, despite being dismissed in some quarters as false leads.

🚹 So here we're already seeing the precedent of an environment where men are visible and vocal as the original case experts; and women can gain attention, but then be largely dismissed. A lot of male suspects and amateur theorists have certainly been widely mocked and dismissed too; but there has never been a time where a large number of lady investigators and experts appeared in D. B. Cooper documentaries... yet.

In the past few years there have now been some great books published by female authors writing about D. B. Cooper.

🥊 Next, let's consider the history and ambience of the online D. B. Cooper forums. Historically, these spaces have been full of a lot of superb shared research; but also rival theorists, heated belligerence, highly competitive battling egos, cherry-picking suspect-pushers, curse-filled tirades, fleeting allegiances, lingering feuds, old-boys'-club partisanship, personal attacks, and Cooper-ish grudges. Sorry if I just broke the first rule of Fight Club, but it does get wild at times!

😎 Some ladies may love such settings for their downtime, but I'd guess that most prefer friendlier and less aggro-fueled spaces. A lot of the awesome, brilliant and expert gents in this Vortex of Cooperologists would probably prefer a calmer and happier atmosphere for research and socializing too! Fortunately, other more welcoming Cooper research spaces are starting to grow. I found everyone very friendly, welcoming and kind when I first entered Vortex groups on Facebook.

🤬 Nevertheless, some of the same old personalities with the same festering attitudes and behaviours still tend to hang around the Vortex, stirring up drama. There are probably some reactionaries among them who preferred when the Vortex was primarily a boys' club, and when women and newcomers were easily dismissed.

🤷‍♂️ Is this history of experiences, attitudes and behaviours within the D. B. Cooper community the whole story behind why women appear less prominent in this mystery Vortex? Likely not... but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's a significant factor.

👩‍💻 Overall, I'd say it's wise to carefully choose and curate the D. B. Cooper case spaces that we participate in. While some people may feel energized by endless online arguments, other smart gentlemen and ladies researching this mystery prefer peaceful, well-moderated groups for friendly collaboration. And thanks to Darren Schaefer's question, we're all regularly reminded to consider what could help improve diversity among our Vortex community.

~ D. B. Cooper Investigator 😎🔍🐊