Scientists hope bone fragments will end Amelia Earhart mystery

by Steven Mostyn - Dec 20 2010, 06:53

Missing since July 2, 1937, and declared dead on January 5, 1939, the disappearance of record-breaking aviator Amelia Earhart has been a mystery for more than 70 years.

However, that mystery could now be solved following news that scientists from the University of Oklahoma are investigating human remains they believe belong to the legendary American pilot.

According to the scientific team, it is hoped that DNA tests on neck and finger fragments collected from Nikumaroro Island will confirm Earhart crashed there during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe aboard her Lockheed Model 10 Electra.

The bone pieces, which were recovered at an old abandoned campsite on Nikumaroro earlier this year, were found along with women’s makeup, empty glass bottles, flight jacket buttons and open shells—which suggests Earhart and/or navigator Fred Noonan survived the crash and became marooned around 1,800 miles south of Hawaii.

“This site tells the story of how someone or some people attempted to live as castaways,” commented Ric Gillespie, director of the International Group of Historic Aircraft Recovery, in an AP report.

“It looks like she could have landed successfully on the reef surrounding the island,” he added. “It’s very flat and smooth… At low tide, it looks like this place is surrounded by a parking lot.”

Despite the clear enthusiasm of Gillespie and his team of volunteers, who’ve been scouring Nikumaroro Island since 1989, it will apparently be several months before scientists can reveal their findings with any certainty.

Around the Web