Skeletal Remains from Delaware Bay, Cape Henlopen (2021)
Partial skeletal remains were recovered from a fishing pier at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, Delaware, on May 25, 2021, after a fisherman reeled them in from Delaware Bay. The individual has not been identified. The case is carried in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as UP102587 and is assigned to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Division of Forensic Science.[1]
Discovery
On May 25, 2021, a fisherman casting from a pier at 15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, Delaware, reeled in human remains. The remains were in the waters of Delaware Bay. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) opened a case under number 94-21-001374 and reported the case to NamUs on the same date. The Delaware Division of Forensic Science took custody of the remains under medical examiner case number 2021-1390.[1]
Description
The remains consist of partial skeletal parts only and are not recognizable. The condition of the remains precluded standard physical identification. Sex, hair color, eye color, height, and weight could not be estimated from the NamUs profile. The individual is assessed as an adult, with an estimated age range of 18 to 99 years, reflecting the limits of skeletal analysis on the available material. Ethnicity is recorded as uncertain. No clothing, accessories, or personal effects were recovered with the remains.[1]
A secondary database entry lists preliminary anthropological placeholders of approximately 68 inches in height and 170 pounds in weight, but these figures do not appear in the active NamUs record and their reliability is uncertain.[2]
Investigation
The Delaware Division of Forensic Science is the forensic case owner. As of the most recent available data, the status of DNA extraction, fingerprint analysis, and dental comparison for this case is unknown.[2] No official exclusions of any missing person comparison are documented in publicly accessible records.
Missing Person of Interest: Joel Thompson Jr.
One candidate merits formal investigative attention. Joel Thompson Jr., age 48, a licensed boat captain and experienced jetty fisherman from Lewes, Delaware, disappeared on the night of April 26, 2010. He left his Lewes home at approximately 11:00 p.m. to go fishing and did not return. His vehicle, a Toyota Tacoma loaded with fishing tackle, was found parked at Indian River Inlet, approximately 15 miles south of Cape Henlopen State Park.[3]
A multi-agency search was conducted. DNREC boats, Delaware State Police divers, the Lewes Volunteer Fire Department, and U.S. Coast Guard vessels searched the inlet and surrounding waters but suspended operations without recovering a body. Thompson was reported to have been wearing a life jacket and spiked-sole footwear ("korkers") typical of jetty fishing at the time he went missing.[3]
The geographic relationship between the disappearance site and the recovery site is notable. Indian River Inlet connects to Delaware Bay, and prevailing tidal flow runs northward from the inlet toward Cape Henlopen. The 11-year interval between Thompson's disappearance and the recovery of UP102587 is consistent with the partial skeletal condition of the remains. DNREC, the same agency that serves as primary investigator for UP102587, also conducted the original Thompson search. No physical descriptors for Thompson appear in the available news coverage, so no osteometric comparison is possible from open sources. This candidate is assessed as speculative pending a formal inquiry.
How to Help
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the investigating agencies:
- Delaware Division of Forensic Science, case number 2021-1390, phone: 302-577-3420[2]
- Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, case number 94-21-001374[1]
The NamUs case page is publicly accessible at namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/102587.
References
- "NamUs Case UP102587." National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. namus.gov
- "Missing People in America: Case 470." Missing People in America. missingpeopleinamerica.org
- Kunzig, Rob. "Lewes angler Joel Thompson goes missing at Indian River Inlet." Cape Gazette, April 29, 2010. capegazette.com