Investigators and forensic DNA experts have discovered that a jawbone found on a beach a decade ago belongs to a mariner lost at sea off the NSW North Coast in 1979.
The jawbone was found washed up on Kingscliff Beach in 2011 (24 September 2011) and prompted an extensive NSW Police Force investigation into the owner's identity, with the help of NSW Health Pathology's Forensic & Analytical Science Service.
For nine years, the unidentified jawbone was one of dozens of unidentified remains cases on the Missing Persons Registry, and continuous searches on DNA databases failed to find a direct match.
In August 2020, following a 'familial DNA' search, NSW Health Pathology alerted NSW Police to a possible link to a biological relative.
Familial DNA searching uses complex technology to identify potential relatives who have provided their DNA to an existing database. The closer the biological relationship, the greater the chance that a relative will be identified.
The familial DNA link in the jawbone case led investigators to a 34-year-old man imprisoned in Goulburn Jail in 2020 and whose DNA profile had been added to a database for convicted offenders in NSW.
An investigation by the Marine Area Command and State Crime Command's Missing Persons Registry confirmed the inmate was the nephew of a mariner lost at sea 40 years ago.
Bill Moran, then aged 24, disappeared after his motor cruiser sank in rough seas off Evans Head on 24 September 1979. The same day the jawbone was discovered 32 years later.
The return of the jawbone to Mr Moran's family has brought closure after decades of searching for answers.
ABOUT 'LOST AT SEA' PODCAST: The story is the subject of a new podcast which explores a chance discovery of human remains on a beach in 2011. This set-in motion a nine-year investigation by the NSW Police Force and forensic scientists to learn the identity of the individual and the circumstances of their death. The investigation opens the door to an incredible story of five mariners lost at sea in 1979. Finally, after decades of wondering, a family will find an answer and closure.
Ep1 Kingscliff. A human jawbone washes up on a beach in northern NSW in 2011. For nearly a decade, the identity of the owner remains a mystery until the NSW Police Force find a living relative through familial DNA technology.
Ep2. Frozen in the Moment. Investigations into the mystery jawbone lead police back to an epic sea search and rescue in 1979 when a small cabin cruiser with five people on board was lost at sea in treacherous conditions.
Ep3. Boats of Wood, Men of Steel. A combination of good luck, attention to duty and bravery give five castaways a chance of survival but their rescuers struggle to find them in mountainous seas. Each castaway will make a critical choice that will mean life or death.
Ep4. Homecoming. The Nocturn tragedy is a story marked by sliding doors moments and amazing heroism. Investigators from today's Marine Area Command reflect on how the jawbone might have ended up on the beach after so long and why this tragedy occurred.
All episodes of 'Lost at Sea' are now available for streaming on Spotify and Apple.
https://link.chtbl.com/drV2_bhw
