Mystery solved! Skeletal remains along Jersey shore tied to 19th-century shipwreck
The mystery was solved thanks to investigative genetic genealogy at Ramapo College of New Jersey.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Skeletal remains found along the Jersey shore have now been linked to a 19th-century shipwreck.
The findings are all thanks to the work of the New Jersey State Police and Ramapo College of New Jersey's Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center (IGG).
The remains have been identified as those of Henry Goodsell, the 29-year-old captain of the Oriental, a schooner that sank off Brigantine Shoal in 1844.
The ship had departed from Connecticut, bound for Philadelphia with 60 tons of marble intended for construction at Girard College.
In 1995, a human skull washed ashore in Longport, and more bones were found in Margate in 1999. Then, in 2013, additional remains were found in Ocean City.
It wasn't until the fall of 2023 that New Jersey State Police partnered with the IGG Center at Ramapo College to apply investigative genetic genealogy to the case. In November of that year, a DNA sample was submitted to public databases, and then students went to work.
Ramapo College undergraduate students traced the remains back to 1600s Connecticut, with genetic relatives from Litchfield and Fairfield counties.
Students started to cross-reference the links with newspapers clippings from 1844, which led to the wreck of the Oriental and the loss of all five crew members aboard.
The ship had gone down less than a mile from shore, likely after taking on water. The students' research pointed to Captain Henry Goodsell as a likely candidate.
On March 7, 2025, state police collected a family DNA sample from a living descendant of Goodsell. One month later, on April 8, 2025, his identity was officially confirmed.
"Identifying human remains is one of the most solemn and challenging responsibilities law enforcement is charged with," said Chief of County Detectives Patrick Snyder at the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
NJSP Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan emphasized the groundbreaking nature of the case.
"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," he said.
According to the Ramapo College of New Jersey, this is one of the oldest cold case identifications using investigative genetic genealogy.
