# "Twin Peaks": Why was the FBI investigating a murder? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411 "2006-05-19T15:32:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/1 "2006-05-19T15:32:51Z")
One thing never was clear to me in the 1990-91 TV series _Twin Peaks:_ Why was FBI Agent Cooper investigating the murder of Laura Palmer? The FBI has no jurisdiction over murder unless there are special circumstances giving rise to federal jurisdiction – e.g., the victim was a federal official, or died in the course of a federal crime such as kidnapping. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/2 "2006-05-19T15:44:11Z")
I don’t remember the exact details, but the Laura Palmer murder was related to another murder that happened in a neighboring state. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/3 "2006-05-19T15:46:22Z")
Additionally (I don’t have a cite for this), I seem to remember that when some of the informants on the case appear as dancing dwarves giving you clues while speaking backwards in dreams, then the case automatically comes under federal jurisdiction. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/4 "2006-05-19T15:52:08Z")
The reason given was this: Twin Peaks is 5 miles south of the Canadian border, and 12 miles west of the Washington-Idaho border. Ronette Pulaski, the other girl who was present at Laura’s murder but escaped, wandered through the woods in a state of shock and managed to wander over the state line before she was discovered. The murder site was in the woods outside the town, so it’s not crazy to think that Ronette could wander a few miles over several hours. Since two states were involved, the FBI was contacted. Agent Cooper was chosen to investgate since he was already on the Theresa Banks case from the previous year, a similar murder (murdered young woman wrapped in plastic) that had occurred in Oregon. His suspicion that the crimes were the work of a serial killer proved likely almost immediately, so then the rest of the FBI team we saw (Albert Rosenfield, Gordon Cole) got involved both in Twin Peaks and back at headquarters. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/5 "2006-05-19T15:59:18Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > One thing never was clear to me in the 1990-91 TV series _Twin Peaks:_ Why was FBI Agent Cooper investigating the murder of Laura Palmer? Wait. That was the one thing not clear to you about _Twin Peaks_? The rest of it made sense to you, except for the whole FBI jurisdiction question, is what you’re saying. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/6 "2006-05-19T23:41:08Z")
> [@Arnold Winkelried](#): > > Additionally (I don’t have a cite for this), I seem to remember that when some of the informants on the case appear as dancing dwarves giving you clues while speaking backwards in dreams, then the case automatically comes under federal jurisdiction. Yeah, that would be the Commerce Clause. Pretty amazing piece of legislation. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/7 "2006-05-20T00:04:33Z")
> [@Arnold Winkelried](#): > > Additionally (I don’t have a cite for this), I seem to remember that when some of the informants on the case appear as dancing dwarves giving you clues while speaking backwards in dreams, then the case automatically comes under federal jurisdiction. I’m sorry, but this just doesn’t fly. The dancing dream dwarf didn’t appear until after Cooper was assigned to the case. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/8 "2006-05-20T00:10:57Z")
In Twin Peaks, jurisdictional issues are not what they seem. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/9 "2006-05-20T00:50:19Z")
Agent Cooper was apparently part of the X-Files. StG ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/10 "2006-05-20T01:32:41Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > Wait. That was the one thing not clear to you about _Twin Peaks_? The rest of it made sense to you, except for the whole FBI jurisdiction question, is what you’re saying. If **Captain Amazing** is right about this, can the OP explain the rest of the show to us? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/11 "2006-05-20T01:40:56Z")
> [@Kat](#): > > If **Captain Amazing** is right about this, can the OP explain the rest of the show to us? 😃 What, doesn’t the dancing dwarf visit **your** dreams? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/12 "2006-05-20T04:12:00Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Agent Cooper was apparently part of the X-Files. Aw, all Coop did was hand Fox a folder of “Blue Rose” cases, tell him that dress made his ass look fat, and that was that. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/13 "2006-05-20T04:16:11Z")
Because the owls were not what they seemed. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/14 "2006-05-20T05:08:47Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Because the owls were not what they seemed. [O RLY?](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/BPMdotEXE/Random/O_RLY.jpg) (I’m sorry. That was just too easy.) ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/15 "2006-05-20T07:30:58Z")
Since I suck at Photoshop and it’s also 3 in the morning, please just pretend that in response to that I linked to a pic of Karl Stuyken saying “YA RLY.” Wow, **cbawlmer** , wow. I’m with you on the explanation as given, although that doesn’t explain why the FBI was in on the Teresa Banks murder from the start. I seem to remember Gordon Cole giving some hand-waving explanation to Kiefer Sutherland and Chris Isaak in the movie, but it’s been a while since I saw it. Oh, shit. Now I’m remembering that scene of David Bowie in Cole’s office, and I’m getting creeped out. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/16 "2006-05-20T08:29:15Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Because the owls were not what they seemed. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person on the planet who gets that reference. (Not as a reference _to_ Twin Peaks, mind, but as a reference _in_ Twin Peaks.) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/17 "2006-05-20T11:03:15Z")
In addition to the inter-state rationale already given, I believe that the FBI alone has the technology to interview logs as witnesses. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/18 "2006-05-20T15:06:55Z")
As a slight hijack, I never watched Twin Peaks when it was on, I was too young to care when it was broadcast. Is it worth renting to watch the whole thing, or no? ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/19 "2006-05-20T15:09:14Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Is it worth renting to watch the whole thing, or no? Depends. You’ll either love it or hate it. I loved it. Do you enjoy ridiculously complex masses of subplots with vaguely surreal elements and totally unbelievable characters, that are nevertheless excellently portrayed? If so, _Twin Peaks_ is up your alley. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411/20 "2006-05-20T15:18:03Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What, doesn’t the dancing dwarf visit **your** dreams? No, but I used to have nightmares that David Lynch made more TV shows - his _American Chainsaw Idol_ is something to behold. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-why-was-the-fbi-investigating-a-murder/357411.md?page=2)