Human Remains Found in the Ocean 45 Years Ago Identified as Missing Retired Coast Guard Officer

**Identification of 1981 Human Remains as Missing Coast Guard Officer**

The New Jersey State Police have confirmed that human remains discovered off the coast of Atlantic City in 1981 belong to Glen Napoleon Burbage, a retired officer of the United States Coast Guard. This identification comes after significant advancements in forensic DNA technology and investigative genetic genealogy.

The skeletal remains were found on May 22, 1981, approximately one mile offshore from Raleigh Avenue. Initially, police struggled to make a connection or retrieve any leads related to the remains, despite having entered Burbage’s DNA profile into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Decades passed without a breakthrough until, on October 1, 2023, the New Jersey State Police announced that they had successfully identified the remains as those of the missing Coast Guard officer. Burbage had vanished under mysterious circumstances shortly after arriving in New Jersey from South Carolina in March 1981. He was 59 years old at the time of his disappearance.

Investigators discovered that Burbage had flown to Atlantic City and, according to government documents, had collected his luggage at the airport upon arrival. However, he subsequently went missing and was reported unaccounted for on March 23, 1981.

In a concerted effort to identify Burbage, detectives from the Missing Persons Unit of the New Jersey State Police employed investigative genetic genealogy techniques. Their approach involved collaboration with the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Centre, which undertook genealogical research linked to the case.

The IGG Centre accepted the investigation from the New Jersey Police in April 2026 and incorporated it into a comprehensive week-long genetic genealogy bootcamp. This event was held in partnership with the Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Technology Sydney and the New South Wales Police Force, allowing Ramapo College students to work on the case. They created family trees and analysed genetic records, leading to a promising lead on Burbage shortly after the bootcamp concluded.

In a further collaborative move, the Missing Persons Unit enlisted support from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to collect a reference DNA sample from Burbage’s family. A definitive identification was finally achieved through a one-to-one familial DNA comparison conducted by the New Jersey State Police Central Laboratory.

Cairenn Binder, director of the Ramapo College IGG Centre, expressed the significance of this case in a recent statement. “For 45 years, Glen Burbage had a name and a family, even though investigators did not yet know who he was,” said Binder. “Investigative genetic genealogy gives us a way to revisit cases that once seemed to have reached the limits of available technology. It is especially meaningful to do that work alongside longtime partners like the New Jersey State Police and to give students the opportunity to contribute to a real investigation that can provide answers after decades of uncertainty.”

While this recent development has provided closure regarding Burbage’s identity, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death continues. The New Jersey State Police are urging anyone with relevant information to contact the Missing Persons Unit at the provided email address.

This case underscores the remarkable strides made within forensic science, revealing how emerging technologies can reinvigorate cold cases and offer closure to families long left in the dark. As research progresses, so too does the hope that more victims may yet be identified and families may receive the answers they deserve.