Northeast
Mysterious bones that washed up on Jersey Shore finally identified 180 years after tragedy
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Bones that mysteriously washed up on the Jersey Shore over the past three decades were recently identified, thanks to cutting-edge technology and diligent students.
Ramapo College announced the discovery in a May 21 press release. The remains were identified as belonging to Henry Goodsell, a captain who died in an 1844 shipwreck off the coast of South Jersey’s Brigantine Shoal. (See the video at the top of this article.)
The ship was carrying 60 tons of marble for Girard College, a preparatory school, when it sprung a leak and sank.
DIVERS UNCOVER MYSTERIOUS 2,500-YEAR-OLD SHIPWRECK, FILLED WITH UNUSUAL ARTIFACTS, OFF COAST OF SICILY
Goodsell’s bones didn’t wash up until over a century later, when they were found on various beaches in the Garden State.
“A skull washed ashore in Longport in 1995, and more bones were found in Margate in 1999, both in Atlantic County,” Ramapo College’s statement noted. “In 2013, additional remains were found in Ocean City, Cape May County.”
Experts recently identified bones that washed ashore on several New Jersey beaches over the past three decades. (Getty Images; New Jersey State Police)
“Scattered Man John Doe went without a name for 30 years since traditional methods of investigation could not deliver an identification.”
Cairenn Binder, assistant director of the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Center, told Fox News Digital that her team conducted traditional DNA testing to find a matching profile in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national DNA profile database.
“More identifications like these will be made now that we have advances in technology.”
“While there was no missing person sample on file that matched with the profiles from the bones, the bones all matched one another, so that’s how [the New Jersey State Police] learned they were all connected before we began working on the case,” she said.
METAL DETECTORISTS DISCOVER HOARD OF PRICELESS GOLD COINS DATING BACK TO BIBLICAL TIMES
Over the past several months, Ramapo students have gleaned various details about Goodsell’s life from old newspapers.
He was 29 years old when he died, and his ancestors were among the earliest settlers in Connecticut.
Henry Goodsell’s remains were known as Scattered Man John Doe until the recent discovery. (New Jersey State Police)
“Capt. Goodsell’s ancestors lived in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties in Connecticut and had all been there since the 1600s – some of the earliest European Americans,” Binder said.
“He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but lived in Boston from at least the late 1830s.”
Goodsell also left behind a wife and two children when he perished; his family was financially devastated by the shipwreck.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle
“The news reported that his family was left in ‘very embarrassed’ circumstances after the captain’s death,” Binder said.
“There was a fundraiser held for Capt. Goodsell’s widow a year after his death,” she also said. Reports were that “she was destitute.”
Students were able to learn about Goodsell’s life and his “untimely fate” from various 19th-century newspapers. (Ramapo College of New Jersey)
Five or six other crew members were on the vessel, Binder noted, and all of them are believed to have died.
One was found and buried while the others were lost at sea.
Binder described the discovery as “extremely rare,” noting that Ramapo researchers have not been able to find an older case where IGG was used to successfully identify remains.
“There are a handful of cases where remains more than 100 years old have been identified with IGG, but this is the oldest we have been able to find,” she said.
“We believe that more identifications like these will be made now that we have the advances in technology to make them happen,” she added.
Archival documents helped point Ramapo College students in the right direction during their research. (Ramapo College of New Jersey)
Authorities from various New Jersey law enforcement offices were also involved in the research.
In a statement, Cape May County prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said the same technology is used to “bring offenders to justice.”
“
“The hard work of Ramapo College’s IGG Center and working with the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit has demonstrated the power and accuracy of this new technology combined with classic detective work in solving complex cold cases that will bring offenders to justice and provide closure to victims’ families,” he noted.
Read the full article from Here
Here’s what we know now about school cellphone bans
More states are implementing or considering phone bans in schools following guidance from the U.S. Surgeon General on children and social media.
If Pennsylvania sees statewide restrictions on cellphones in schools, would anything change in Pittsburgh?
It’s too early to say for sure.
On June 1, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed legislation that would require school districts to adopt phone restrictions, leaving the details of the exact policy’s implementation up to individual districts, according to USA TODAY. Now, if cleared by the Senate — which already passed another version of the proposal with almost unanimous support — it will go to Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has repeatedly said he supports getting cellphones out of classrooms with a bell-to-bell ban.
“Here in Pennsylvania, Democrats and Republicans agree: We need to let our kids be kids again,” Shapiro said in a June 4 post to his X account.
But Pittsburgh’s already ahead of the curve when it comes to banning cellphones during school hours because of a school board policy approved in late 2025.
Here’s what to know.
Are cell phones banned in Pittsburgh schools?
Yes, cellphones are banned during the school day at Pittsburgh Public Schools.
In December 2025, Pittsburgh Public Schools Board voted to ban the use of phones by students during the school day, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.
Under the policy, the possession of phones by students is prohibited. While they may bring cellphones to school, the devices must be turned in to school personnel during the school day.
There are exceptions to the policy in cases where a student may need a phone for instructional activities, an Individualized Education Plan, a Section 504 Plan or for other reasons approved by a school administrator.
Why are schools banning cellphones?
Numerous states have already banned cellphones in schools, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and others, according to ABC News.
This year, Indiana and Kansas banned phones during the day, implementing policies that require students to keep their phones in inaccessible locations through the entire school day, USA TODAY reported.
Recently, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming passed or updated less restrictive legislation on phones in schools, according to an analysis by the Becca Schmill Foundation, the Institute for Families and Technology, Smartphone-Free Childhood US and Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.
Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania may follow suit.
Do cellphone bans work?
Yes and no.
Cellphone bans keep kids off their devices, but they don’t appear to impact test scores, attendance, self-reported classroom attention or perceived online bullying, according to a study published in April by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Additionally, researchers found that during the first year of a cellphone ban, disciplinary incidents rose and students’ reported well-being fell, though the effects subsided as the years passed.
Still, there’s a push for bans nationally, with the U.S. surgeon general’s office warning on May 20 that “compulsive” screen use is linked to poor sleep, substance abuse, developmental disruptions and social, mental and behavioral issues. The office suggested that cellphone bans in schools are a way to help put excessive screen time in check.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
Rhode Island
The Most Expensive House in Rhode Island—Around the Corner From Taylor Swift’s Home—to Ask $23.5 Million
A waterfront estate in Rhode Island could set a record in the same neighborhood where Taylor Swift owns a home.
The 2.75-acre estate on Pawcatuck Avenue in the village of Watch Hill will soon hit the open market for $23.5 million, making it the most expensive active listing in Rhode Island. The property is in Westerly, a peninsula in the state’s western-most section, at the meeting point with Connecticut and New York.
MORE: A Former Gilded Age Inn Perched on a Cliff Above the Hudson River Lists for $2.9 Million
The main New England-style home spans 7,000 square feet across four levels, with five bedrooms, several reception rooms, a wet bar and a wine cellar. There is also a three-bedroom guest house, which spans close to 5,000 square feet, along with a saltwater pool surrounded by a bluestone deck and a newly refinished tennis court, according to the listing with Geb Masterson of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.
“Properties don’t often come up for sale in Watch Hill,” Masterson said via email. “People and families often stay for generations, holding onto the homes their parents bought.”
The property, which has an alternate address on Bay Street, is fully outfitted with amenities for waterfront living, including a boat house, boat garage and a dock that can accommodate a 70-foot yacht. There is also a three-bedroom guest house, according to the listing.
Swift has owned a home in the Watch Hill neighborhood since 2013—a bolthole where the global pop star reportedly throws the best July 4th bash in town. Additionally, earlier in the year, Swift and her fiance, football star Travis Kelce, were rumored to be marrying in a coastal wedding venue nearby, but recent gossip suggests the wedding will actually be held in New York City in less than a month, on July 3.
Mansion Global Boutique: Why Your Home Needs a Little ‘Ugly Beauty’
The sellers purchased the Watch Hill property in April 2020 for $10.4 million via a trust, from the family who built it in 2006, according to records accessed through PropertyShark. The 2020 sale was approved by a Connecticut District bankruptcy court, as the prior owner was in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings related to the home as well as to a ski resort he owned in Vermont, according to court documents and news reports.
The sellers and previous owners couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
LONDONDERRY, Vt. – At a quick June 1 meeting, the Londonderry Selectboard heard from Trevor Powers, a member of the Londonderry Planning Commission, who discussed a few zoning bylaw proposals. Powers reported that members of the planning commission have been making revisions to the bylaws since July 2024, “with the valuable assistance of William Goodwin, zoning administrator.”
“Items that people of the town have been objecting to have been removed,” Powers continued, adding that clarifications have been made to sections that the state requires and therefore could not be removed. He reported that definitions have been added, and language of the bylaws themselves have been updated.
A summary of the changes can be found in the first two pages of the report, included with the eighth draft of the bylaws, which were approved by planning commission on April 27.
Some of the amendments to the bylaws were discussed by Powers. With input from the housing commission, the number of days that nonpaying guests can stay on a property have increased. The shopping plaza is allowed one large sign, and a smaller sign for each corresponding business. The boundary of the conservation district was raised to 2,000 feet.
The selectboard moved to approve and warn a public hearing for the proposed amendments to the bylaws on July 6, at 6 p.m., at the town office.
Town Administrator Aileen Tulloch announced that treasurer Tina Labeau has initiated tax sales. Tulloch also reported that Doings in Derry would like photograph submissions of the community to upload to the town website, and that the Chester Snowmobile Club sent a thank-you note to the town and will be hosting a community barbecue on June 7, in Chester.
Matthew Barlow from Turning Point of Windham County then spoke to the board about their peer recovery center. Barlow stated that they have a full center in Brattleboro, but the center understands that is not easily accessible to those in the greater Londonderry community. Turning Point is looking to spread awareness about their recovery services, and are seeking spaces in Londonderry or Townshend in which to set up and expand their resources.
Town Clerk Allison Marino moved to discuss the malfunctioning alarm system at the town office, and suggested switching the town’s provider. Currently, Countryside Alarms is servicing the building, but an issue with the alarms sounding has not been resolved in a year. Marino believed there were some redundancies in the system setup that could be eliminated and thought the town could get a cheaper and updated alarm service.
The board then moved to close the Prouty property to the public once construction on site begins.
The Londonderry Selectboard meets on the first and third Mondays of the month, at 6 p.m., at the town office and on Zoom.
-
Ohio2 minutes agoOhio AG Yost sues ambulance company over alleged out-of-network disclosure failures
-
Oklahoma8 minutes agoSooners, Jayhawks meet in Super Regionals with trip to Omaha on the line
-
Oregon15 minutes agoOregon begins issuing Summer EBT, giving eligible kids $120 for food
-
Pennsylvania18 minutes agoPA law would restrict cellphones in schools. Pittsburgh already bans them
-
Rhode Island23 minutes ago
The Most Expensive House in Rhode Island—Around the Corner From Taylor Swift’s Home—to Ask $23.5 Million
-
South-Carolina30 minutes agoPolitical Targeting by South Carolina Grand Jury? – FITSNews
-
South Dakota33 minutes agoSouth Dakota Farmers Union camps give youth leadership and agriculture experience
-
Tennessee38 minutes agoTexas discovery of ‘devastating’ flesh-eating fly that lays eggs in animal eyes prompts new regulations in Tennessee
