There’s been a fascinating breakthrough in solving a long-standing mystery involving human bones that have been washing up on New Jersey beaches for decades. Thanks to the efforts of some resourceful college students and cutting-edge DNA technology, we now know that these remains belong to a ship captain from the 19th century. This intriguing case was reported by The New York Post and has captured the attention of many.
The bones that were discovered between 1995 and 2013 have been identified as belonging to Henry Goodsell, a 29-year-old captain from Connecticut. Goodsell met his tragic end when his schooner, the Oriental, sank off the coast of Brigantine Shoal. This identification was made possible by the students at Ramapo College’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Center, who used investigative genetic genealogy to crack the case.
Goodsell and four of his crew were on a voyage transporting marble from Connecticut to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, their journey was cut short when their ship reportedly began taking on water and sank just a mile from shore. Historical records tell us that none of the five men on board survived the ordeal.
The mystery began unraveling in 1995 when a skull washed ashore in Longport, Atlantic County. Then, in 1999, more bones surfaced in Margate, and in 2013, additional remains were found in Ocean City, Cape May County. Despite these multiple discoveries, conventional investigative techniques couldn’t solve the riddle of the bones’ origin.
In 2023, the New Jersey State Police joined forces with Ramapo College’s IGG Center and Intermountain Forensics to take another look at the case. By November 2023, they had submitted a genetic sample to public ancestry databases. The students embarked on a thorough investigation, delving into genealogical records all the way back to the 1600s.
Their research led them to two Connecticut counties, where they found newspaper clippings from the 19th century about the sinking of the Oriental. A December 1844 article revealed that only one body had been recovered from the shipwreck and named Henry Goodsell as the captain. It also mentioned that he left behind a wife and three children.
In March 2025, a family reference sample was obtained from a great-great-grandchild of Goodsell. Just a month later, authorities confirmed the match, bringing closure to a mystery that had lingered for over a century. Ramapo College emphasized the significance of this achievement, noting that it is “one of the oldest cold-case identifications made with investigative genetic genealogy.”
New Jersey State Police Superintendent Patrick Callahan commended the outcome, highlighting how science and perseverance can provide answers to families, even generations later. Chief of County Detectives Patrick Snyder from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office echoed this sentiment. He emphasized the promise behind every case: that no one will be forgotten and that relentless pursuit of the truth can give families the answers they deserve.