Bones Began Washing Up on New Jersey Beaches 30 Years Ago. How College Students Helped Solve the Mystery
New Jersey college students helped solve the mystery of the skeletal remains that washed ashore at a series of local beaches between 1995 and 2013
New Jersey State Police worked with the Ramapo College of New Jersey Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center to identify the remains
Authorities have announced that the bones belong to a 19th century schooner captain who died in a shipwreckA group of New Jersey college students helped identify skeletal remains that began washing ashore at a series of local beaches 30 years ago.
Authorities announced on Wednesday, May 21, that the bones have been identified as belonging to captain Henry Goodsell, who died at 29 alongside all of his crew members about 180 years ago.
'Identifying human remains is one of the most solemn and challenging responsibilities law enforcement is charged with,' Chief of County Detectives Patrick Snyder at the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. 'Behind every case is a promise: that no one will be forgotten, and that we will pursue the truth until families have the answers they deserve.'
Of course, unraveling the mystery took decades.
The remains initially known as "Scattered Man John Doe" began appearing in 1995. First, a skull washed ashore in Longport, and then years later, more bones were found in 1999 and 2013 in Margate and Ocean City.
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In the fall of 2023, state police began working with the Ramapo College's Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center. That November, officials sent a sample to Intermountain Forensics, a nonprofit organization that uploaded the information to a variety of different databases the following February.
After that, Ramapo College students began diving in to help, including by looking up historic shipwrecks around the New Jersey coast.
As part of their research, according to the press release, they found two newspaper articles from December 1844 detailing a shipwreck of 19th century schooner Oriental, which sank off the coast of Brigantine Shoal on its way from Connecticut to Philadelphia.
A newspaper clipping suggested the ship, which was trying deliver 60 tons of marble for Girard College. likely leaked and sank less than a mile from shore.
Armed with evidence, the students sent Goodsell's information to the New Jersey State Police, who collected a family reference sample in March 2025 from one of his great-great grandchildren.
Police confirmed his identity on April 8, 2025.
'Using modern genealogy testing to identify bone fragments from the 19th century is a powerful reminder of our unwavering commitment to resolving cases no matter how old,' New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick J. Callahan said in a statement.
He added, "The ability to bring answers to families — even generations later — shows how far science and dedication can take us.'
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