Amelia Earhart's Mysterious Disappearance Theories

Jan 23, 2025

Evidence of Amelia Earhart's Possible Survival

Background

  • Amelia Earhart, a world-class aviator, disappeared in 1937.
  • Declared dead on January 5, 1939.
  • Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, faced an enduring mystery regarding their fate.

Recent Developments

  • Three former U.S. government employees (FBI, Treasury, Air Force) investigated Earhart's disappearance.
  • A two-hour History Channel documentary suggested Earhart and Noonan survived the crash.

Key Findings from the Documentary

  1. Japanese Imprisonment Theory:
    • U.S. military allegedly knew Earhart and Noonan were prisoners of Japan in the Marshall Islands.
    • Did not act to avoid revealing cracked Japanese codes.
  2. Photographic Evidence:
    • A misfiled photo found in the National Archives shows a Caucasian man (believed to be Noonan) and a woman in pants (believed to be Earhart) on Jaluit Island.
    • A ship in the background, Koshu Maru, is towing an aircraft matching Earhart's Lockheed Electra.
  3. The Marshall Islands Crash Theory:
    • Earhart and Noonan may have landed on Mili Atoll in the Marshalls due to a storm.
    • Captured by Japanese, leading to Saipan where Noonan was executed, and Earhart possibly died of dysentery.

Challenges in the Investigation

  • Attempts to find remains on Saipan unsuccessful; no bones recovered.
  • Historical accounts and previous documentaries indicated bone fragments were found but are missing today.

Alternative Search by TIGHAR

  • Focus on Nikumaroro Island, 1,000 miles from the Marshalls.
  • TIGHAR and National Geographic sent four dogs to search for human remains.
  • Dogs alerted at a site called Seven Site; soil samples collected for DNA analysis.

TIGHAR's Theory

  • If Earhart and Noonan couldn't find Howland Island, they might have landed on Nikumaroro's reef.

Historical Context

  • Fred Noonan was born in 1893 near Chicago; Earhart was born four years later.
  • Theories on their fate continue to grow.

Conclusion

  • The truth about Earhart's disappearance remains elusive.
  • Future discoveries might rely on DNA evidence or uncovering new historical files.