I notice that the bill in question has the date 6/9/62 written in pencil on the obverse. Probably been in someone’s sock drawer a long time. The current $2 bill is Series 2003 A.
The article said the date. I may have not remembered the date correctly but it was an older bill, and the marker wouldn’t work on it.
Police were then led to a bank where the 1953-issued bill was examined and determined to be real.