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Co-Pilot in DB Cooper Hijacking Dies at 86
Co-Pilot in DB Cooper
Hijacking Dies at 86
OBITUARY
Nov 13, 2025 8:34 AM CST

Co-Pilot in DB Cooper Hijacking Dies at 86

William Rataczak flew 35K hours, with several of those now cemented in crime lore

(Newser) - William Rataczak, who served as co-pilot on the infamous 1971 flight hijacked by the mysterious DB Cooper, has died. Rataczak, a former Air Force pilot and Northwest Orient Airlines employee, passed away of pneumonia at an assisted living center in Minnesota on Oct. 22 at the age of 86, his...

After 3 Decades on Death Row, Miss. Executes Student's Killer

Kristy Ray, 20, was abducted, raped, and killed in 1993

(Newser) - A Mississippi man convicted of kidnapping, raping, and killing a 20-year-old community college student in 1993 was executed Wednesday after spending more than 30 years on death row. Charles Crawford, 59, was pronounced dead at 6:15pm following an injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, the AP reports....

The Ransom Was Paid, but Dozens Died Anyway

Brutal killings in northern Nigeria highlight ongoing issue with 'bandits'

(Newser) - Kidnappers killed 38 villagers abducted from northern Nigeria even after receiving ransom payments for their release, according to local officials. The victims were among 56 people taken from Banga village in the Kauran Namoda area of Zamfara state back in March, with abductors demanding roughly $655 per captive. Local...

Crypto Entrepreneur's Father Freed After Kidnapping: France

Hostage unit carried out successful raid, officials say

(Newser) - French officials said police rescued the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur in a nighttime raid after he was taken hostage for ransom, the latest alleged criminal effort in France to extort people involved in the management of digital assets. The man was kidnapped Thursday morning in Paris, the prosecutor'...

$25M Ransom Ends Cyberattack That Crippled Car Dealers

CDK Global reportedly caves to hackers who caused $1B in losses

(Newser) - CDK Global, maker of crucial software used by half of the nation's car dealerships, has reportedly paid a $25 million ransom to end a cyberattack that cost its customers an estimated $1 billion. The cyberattack beginning June 19 forced CDK to shut down most of the systems used by...

Captors Vowed to Mutilate Teen if $500K Ransom Wasn't Paid

17-year-old rescued Friday in California; 3 suspects now face life in prison

(Newser) - A California teenager was found safe Friday, four days after he was kidnapped by men who threatened to cut off his body parts unless his family paid a $500,000 ransom. The men caused the 17-year-old to crash his vehicle into their Jeep Grand Cherokee in the city of Highland...

Cardinal's 'Bombshell' Reveal Involves Pope, a Nun, and $1M

Angelo Becciu testifies that Francis OK'd paying that to free kidnapped Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez

(Newser) - Pope Francis authorized spending up to around $1 million to free a Colombian nun kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked militants in Mali, a cardinal testified Thursday, revealing previously secret papal approval to hire a British security firm to find the nun and secure her freedom. Cardinal Angelo Becciu's bombshell testimony could...

Group: Hang Our Banner, or Monument Becomes a Toilet

White Lies Matter makes a demand of the United Daughters of the Confederacy

(Newser) - "We took their toy, and we don't feel guilty about it." So reads an email sent to AL.com from a group calling itself White Lies Matter. The "toy" they claim to have taken is the Jefferson Davis Memorial Chair, a 3-foot-tall stone monument worth $500,...

Senior Couple Safe After Bizarre Kidnap Plot

Authorties say James and Sandra Helm were taken to Canada, ransomed for cocaine

(Newser) - A senior couple in upstate New York were kidnapped and driven into Canada before their captors demanded the return of 50 kilograms of cocaine or its value, $3.5 million. Prosecutors described the "terrifying ordeal," in which the victims—James Helm Sr., 76, and Sandra Helm, 70—had...

Wealthy Alabama Man Survives 'Horrid Life Experience'

Elton B. Stephens Jr. was kidnapped and forced to pay a ransom, per court documents

(Newser) - A wealthy retired businessman in Birmingham, Ala., was kidnapped before he was forced to wire $250,000 to his captors in a "horrid life experience," according to the man's attorney. Around 1am on Sept. 11, intruders entered the rented home of Elton B. Stephens Jr., whose family...

'Main Hypothesis' Changes in Case of Tycoon's Missing Wife

Police now say Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen may have been killed

(Newser) - The wife of one of Norway's richest men who was apparently abducted eight months ago might have been killed, police said Wednesday, adding they "cannot exclude a staged kidnapping to hide it." Authorities have been tight-lipped about the case of 69-year-old Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen, who was last...

Trump on $2M 'Bill' for 'Our Great Otto': I Paid Nothing

President insists no money was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier

(Newser) - On Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders noted that the administration doesn't comment on hostage negotiations, a remark necessitated by reports that North Korea billed the US $2 million for Otto Warmbier's hospice care before the 21-year-old student was sent back to the US in 2017. On...

Kidnapped American Tourist Is Freed

Kimberly Sue Endicott was held in Uganda for 5 days

(Newser) - A kidnapped American tourist is safe and sound after an unexpectedly dramatic vacation. In Uganda for a safari, Kimberly Sue Endicott and her local guide were abducted at gunpoint from Queen Elizabeth National Park on Tuesday night and held for $500,000. The Guardian says it's unclear whether money...

Cops Tell Millionaire 'Not to Pay' Ransom for Kidnapped Wife

Norway's Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen vanished on Halloween

(Newser) - The wife of a Norwegian businessman with a $200 million fortune was kidnapped months ago, police announced Wednesday, noting the case was kept on "a low profile" because "very serious threats have been made." Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen, wife of real estate investor Tom Hagen, hasn't been...

HBO Hackers Demand Millions in Ransom

Data dump so far has included 'Game of Thrones' script

(Newser) - A group of hackers posted a fresh cache of stolen HBO files online Monday and demanded a multimillion-dollar ransom from the network. HBO, which had previously acknowledged the theft of "proprietary information," says it's continuing to investigate and is working with police and cybersecurity experts. In a...

Cops Foil Crazy Scheme to Steal Famous Corpse

Gang allegedly planned to ransom body of the founder of Ferrari

(Newser) - A bizarre crime tale out of Italy: Police say gang members planned to steal the body of Formula One racing pioneer Enzo Ferrari, hide it in the Apennine Mountains, and demand ransom from family members or the Ferrari company for its safe return. Luckily, they didn't get the chance,...

Hackers Threaten to Wipe 559M Apple Accounts

A video reportedly shows them accessing one

(Newser) - Hackers identifying themselves as "Turkish Crime Family" are threatening to wipe hundreds of millions of Apple users' devices, including files backed up on the iCloud, if Apple doesn't pay a ransom of at least $75,000, reports Motherboard . The hackers say they have access to as many as...

Fired IT Guy Demands $200K to Unlock Data

Online college couldn't access account

(Newser) - An IT worker fired for refusing to relocate demanded $200,000 to unlock a Google account with the emails and coursework of 2,000 students, an online college claims. The American College of Education alleges in a lawsuit that Triano Williams changed the password on the account and demanded the...

Burglars Stole Boy's Ashes, Demanded $5K Ransom

Parents handed over cash for 6-year-old's remains

(Newser) - It would be an insult to the bottom-feeders of the animal kingdom to compare them to burglars police are seeking in Humboldt County, Calif. Police say they're investigating the theft of an urn containing the ashes of Ryan Wagner, a 6-year-old boy who died from cancer in 2011, the...

Mystery Donor Willing to Pay 'Ransom' for Missing Jogger

$50K available until Wednesday: website

(Newser) - Authorities have received 400 tips but have few leads in the disappearance of a woman in California. An apparent stranger hopes to change that. An anonymous donor has set up a website offering a $50,000 "ransom reward" if "the person who has Sherri Papini" will let her...

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