The scattered man. A mysterious skull washed up on a New Jersey beach in 1995. Then, over the next few years, more of his bones followed until investigators gave the remains a nickname: “Scattered Man John Doe.” Now, 30 years later, genetic genealogy has finally given him back his name. He was Henry Goodsell, a 29-year-old schooner captain who died in an 1844 shipwreck. It’s a remarkable reminder that even the coldest cases can still surface. Sometimes literally.
—Andrew Daniels, Director of News
