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Whose bones were found on Gardner Island in 1940?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·3 answers·0·0 following
Three answers, none aheadNone is ahead yet. See what would settle it.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Three are still possible.

Why it matters

The bones are the only human remains in the case and the main physical support for the Nikumaroro reading⁠[1]. They have been lost since 1941; every analysis works from thirteen measurements⁠[2].

Answers 3

Amelia Earhart's.
Tested, but the results don't decide it
Evidence: 2 for, 1 against
Disputed
Evidence: 2 for
Disputed
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible

History

  1. Lambrecht: the SS Norwich City wrecked on the reef in 1929 with loss of life.For: Another castaway, possibly a survivor of the Norwich City wreck of 1929 or a Pacific Islander.
  2. Hoodless: hoodless's conclusion: male, European or mixed, about 5 ft 5 in.For: Another castaway, possibly a survivor of the Norwich City wreck of 1929 or a Pacific Islander.
  3. Burns et al. puts forward: amelia Earhart's.
  4. Burns et al.: the 1998 FORDISC analysis classed the bones as a tall white female.For: Amelia Earhart's.
  5. Cross & Wright puts forward: another castaway, possibly a survivor of the Norwich City wreck of 1929 or a Pacific Islander.
  6. Cross & Wright: hoodless, who handled the bones, judged them a stocky male; Cross and Wright found his analysis the more…Against: Amelia Earhart's.
  7. Jantz: jantz's 2018 comparison finds the bones closer to Earhart than to 99 per cent of a reference sample.For: Amelia Earhart's.
  8. Asked on this site
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