Bones Found in 1940 Likely Those of Amelia Earhart

Bones found in a remote South Pacific island in 1940 have been reexamined and are now believed to belong to legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart.

The bones were first examined in 1940 by physician D.W. Hoodless. The only conclusion Hoodless made was that the bones belonged to a man.

University of Tennessee researcher, Richard Jantz began to question Hoodless’s claim because forensic analysis wasn’t nearly what it is today in 1940.

“Forensic anthropology was not well developed in the early 20th century,” Jantz states in the papers in which his data was published. “There are many examples of erroneous assessments by anthropologists of the period. We can agree that Hoodless may have done as well as most analysts of the time could have done, but this does not mean his analysis was correct.”

Using a computer program called Fordic that estimates the sex of someone through their remains, Jantz found that Hoodless was, indeed, wrong. The bones belonged to a woman.

After further examining the bones, Jantz found that they were more similar to Earhart’s than 99 percent of other individuals in a reference group.

Earhart’s body measurements were estimated using old photographs and measuring her old clothing that has been preserved at Purdue University. Jantz then compared the body measurements to the seven bones that were found on the remote island in 1940.

After comparing the bones and body measurements, Jantz said “until definitive evidence is presented that the remains are not those of Amelia Earhart, the most convincing argument is that they are hers.”

Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 as she attempted to fly around the globe. Her disappearance has been one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history, with most believing she crashed into the ocean water.

There have been no shortage of theories about Earhart’s disappearance in the past. One theory holds that Earhart was taken hostage by Japanese forces who had been expanding over the Pacific as World War II was taking shape.

With her remains likely found now, conspiracy theorists have something new to theorize: how could Earhart have ended up on that remote island in the Pacific?