Amelia Earhart's disappearance is one of the most fastinating unsolved mysteries of the world. Last Sunday night, the History Channel aired a documentary called "Amelia Earhart: the Lost Evidence" which showcases newly uncovered evidence about what possibly happened to the first female aviation pilot and her navigator, Fred Noonan, after they vanished midway through their world flight.
'The Search for Amelia Earhart'
This theory was first publicized in 1966 by CBS Correspondent Fred Goerner in his book "The Seach for Amelia Earhart." The book claims that Earhart and Noonan were captured and executed when their aircraft crashed on the island of Saipan while under occupation by Japan.
"Amelia Earhart: the Lost Evidence" documentary centers its focus on a photo from the US in the National Archives with annotation that it was taken at Jaluit Atoll.
The photograph was allegedly taken after Earhart and Noonan crashed at Mili Atoll and that the Japanese ship Koshu Maru then took the two to Saipan, where both later allegedly died in Japanese custody. In the photo, we see a Caucasian male on a dock who appears to share features with Noonan according to a facial recognition expert. A woman kneeling near the dock was deemed to have hair resembling Earhart's.
There are tons of conflicting opinions stemming from investigations of the authenticity of the claim. The television show "Unsolved Mysteries" aired an episode in the early 1990's featuring an interview with a Saipanese woman who claimed to have witnessed Earhart and Noonan's execution by Japanese soldiers.
No evidence was ever presented to confirm or deny these claims.
The Daily Beast interviewed reporter Fukiko Aoki, who wrote a 1982 book, "Looking for Amelia." While researching for the book Aoki located an elderly officer who was a member of the 1937 crew of the Koshu Maru, who denied the ship's involvement in Earhart and Noonan purported disappearance.
Discredited by a Blogger
A report by The Guardian provides information about how a blogger completely discredited the photo and the theory altogether. The blogger, who was fascinated by but against the theory of Earhart and Noonan dying in Japanese captivity, did some independent research to provide evidence to debunk the theory.
After doing an online search of the photo in question, he discovered that it was the 10th photo in association with the keyword “Jaluit atoll." As of 2017, there isn't any concluding evidence to close the case in terms of what actually happened to Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan, and there's no telling if there ever will be.
