Officials announced on Wednesday that bones found along New Jersey’s shores three decades ago belong to the captain of a shipwreck from the 19th century.
The remains discovered at various points along South Jersey’s coastline between 1995 and 2013 were traced back to Henry Goodsell, who was the 29-year-old captain of the ill-fated schooner Oriental, according to the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center.
This significant discovery was made possible by a group of Ramapo University students dedicated to cold case investigations for nearly two years, utilizing DNA testing and historical records.
“Our ability to provide answers to families underscores the remarkable impact that science and commitment can have across generations,” stated New Jersey State Police Principal Patrick Callahan.
Goodsell and a crew of five set sail from Connecticut to Philadelphia in 1844, delivering marble to a preparatory school that hadn’t opened yet.
The skull, originally believed to belong to an unidentified individual, was first uncovered in Longport in 1995, with additional bones found in Margate four years later.
Another discovery of bones occurred in Ocean City in 2013, but despite these findings, traditional research methods fell short of making an identification.
In 2023, state police sought help from the Ramapo College IGG Center to further investigate.
Genetic samples were collected and sent to Intermountain Forensics in November 2023, and a few months later, the DNA was submitted to multiple ancestry databases, as reported by Ramapo College.
Students in the Ramapo Undergraduate and Student IGG Center Certificate Program searched for records and found genetic links to families in Connecticut dating back to the 1600s.
They also delved into the shipwreck and found newspaper articles from December 1844 discussing the incident.
One article mentioned that only one body was recovered following the wreck, citing Captain Goodsell, who had left behind a wife and three small children.
State police eventually returned to collect a reference sample from Goodsell’s great-grandson in March, leading to confirmation of the identification the following month.
“Utilizing modern genealogy techniques to identify these remains serves as a powerful testament to our determination to solve even the oldest of cases,” Callahan remarked.
This has been noted as one of the oldest cold case identifications achieved through research genetic genealogy, according to the university.
Chief Patrick Snyder, County Detective for Atlantic County Prosecutors, emphasized the challenges faced in identifying human remains, noting that law enforcement works diligently to uphold the promise of uncovering the truth for families.
