In 1980, an eight-year-old boy found a small portion of the ransom money buried on a beach.

While playing at Tina Bar along the Columbia River, young Brian Ingram uncovered three bundles of cash totaling $5,800. The serial numbers matched the ransom money given to Cooper. Despite this huge breakthrough, the find did not lead to Cooper's identity or reveal if he survived. The rest of the $200,000 remains completely missing to this day, leaving the trail cold.